Valued Outcomes in the Cancer Experience (VOICE)™: Development and validation of a multidimensional measure of perceived control.

Objective: Enhancing cancer patients' sense of control can positively impact psychological well-being. We developed and assessed the psychometric properties of Valued Outcomes in the Cancer Experience (VOICE), a measure of patients' perceived control over key personal priorities within their cancer experience.

Methods: VOICE construction and testing were completed in three phases with separate participant samples: (1) item generation and initial item pool testing ( = 459), (2) scale refinement ( = 623), and (3) confirmatory validation ( = 515).

Results: A 21-item measure was developed that captures cancer patients' sense of control in seven key domains: (1) Purpose and Meaning, (2) Functional Capacity, (3) Longevity, (4) Quality Care, (5) Illness Knowledge, (6) Social Support, and (7) Financial Capability. VOICE demonstrated adequate internal consistency (full-scale = 0.93; factor = 0.67-0.89) and adequate to strong convergent and discriminatory validity.

Significance Of Results: VOICE measures cancer patients' perceived control across a diverse range of personal priorities, creating a platform for elevating patient perspectives and identifying pathways to enhance patient well-being. VOICE is positioned to guide understanding of the patient experience and aid the development and evaluation of supportive care interventions to enhance well-being.