Validation of the English version of the Trust in Oncologist Scale (TiOS)

ObjectiveThe Trust in Oncologist Scale (TiOS) was recently developed and validated in The Netherlands to assess cancer patients' trust in their oncologist. In this study, we translated and further validated the scale amongst English-speaking Australian cancer patients, to establish cross-cultural validity.MethodsThe translated 18-item scale was administered to cancer patients (n = 175) from three Sydney hospitals. In addition to trust, we assessed patients' satisfaction, trust in health care, and background characteristics. Dimensionality, internal consistency, and construct validity of the translated scale were assessed.ResultsPsychometric properties of all items were acceptable. Trust scores were very high. Factor analyses indicated one-dimensionality of the scale. Internal consistency was strong. Moderate to high correlations were found between trust (TiOS) and its known correlates, i.e., satisfaction, number of previous consultations with the oncologist, and trust in health care, indicating good construct validity.ConclusionTrust is highly coherent, suggesting that cancer patients do not distinguish between separate dimensions of trust. Future research could clarify if trust is equally strong and one-dimensional among specific groups of cancer patients.Practice implicationsBoth the English and the Dutch Trust in Oncologist Scales appear suitable for assessing cancer patients' trust reliably and validly.