Abstract
The present study aims to determine the use of Preparatory Grief in Advanced Cancer Patients (PGAC) Scale for screening preparatory grief according to independent criterion standards (ie, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression [HAD] Total scale and the HAD Depression and Anxiety subscales) and to establish an optimal cutoff point for discriminating between subjects with and without preparatory grief. One hundred advanced cancer patients treated in a Pain Relief and Palliative Care Unit completed the PGAC and HAD Scales, while researchers recorded data on demographic characteristics, disease status, and treatment regimen. Optimal balance between sensitivity and specificity for the PGAC Scale as a screening instrument was achieved at a cutoff score of 40+ for all the criterion standards (ie, HAD Total, HAD Anxiety, and HAD Depression), giving a sensitivity range between 84% and 92%, and specificity between 70% and 86%. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve ranged between 0.867 and 0.968. The PGAC Scale had a favorable sensitivity and specificity in identifying cases of preparatory grief. The receiver operating characteristic analyses demonstrated that the scale is a useful screening instrument in advanced cancer patients.