Development of the treatment preference in myelodysplasia questionnaire for clinicians, carers, and patients

Abstract

This study reports the development activities for the Treatment Preference Myelodysplasia Questionnaires (TPMQ) for clinicians (mTPMQ), carers (cTPMQ), and patients (pTPMQ). These tools are intended to evaluate treatment preferences for patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). This was a non‐interventional, cross‐sectional qualitative interview study consisting of interviews with clinicians, patients, and those caring for patients with MDS. All participants were located in Australia and data were collected from qualitative mixed‐method interviews composed of concept elicitation and cognitive debriefing related to initial drafts of the questionnaires. Fifteen individuals participated in interviews (five from each group). Based on the concept elicitation portion of interviews, concepts of importance were classified and reasons for treatment preference were documented. From cognitive debriefing, the questionnaires were generally deemed to be clear and easy to understand. Participant input from both concept elicitation and cognitive debriefing portions was used to revise initial drafts of the questionnaires. The mTPMQ, cTPMQ, and pTPMQ were developed with direct input from clinicians, patients, and caregivers to assess the key concepts of interest related to the preference for the treatment of MDS and are ready to be used and evaluated further in clinical trials.