Development of an instrument to measure the responses and management of Chinese primary caregivers in caring of children with minor upper respiratory disorders

This article focuses on the development of a valid, reliable and culturally sensitive instrument to assess the responses and management of Chinese primary caregivers caring for children aged below 10 with minor upper respiratory disorders. Thirty-two semi-structured interviews were conducted as the point of saturation of qualitative data was reached. The qualitative findings contributed to the development of the instrument items. Five main categories and 29 sub-categories were identified with satisfactory inter-coder reliability. A panel of three experts judged the content validity of the instrument with a content validity index of 0.98. A test–retest procedure with 40 subjects was adopted and the correlation coefficient for the instrument was 0.850 (p0.000).     

Translation and Testing of the Cardiac Diet Self-Efficacy Scale for Use With Taiwanese Older Adults

ABSTRACT Objectives: The purposes of this investigation were to translate the Cardiac Diet Self-Efficacy (CDSE) scale from English to Mandarin Chinese and to test the validity, reliability, and feasibility of the translated scale in a sample of Taiwanese older adults.
Design and Sample: This study used a methodological design to translate the CDSE based on the Brislin's model: (1) translation from source language (SL) of English to the target language (TL) of Chinese, (2) evaluation of Chinese version, (3) blind back translation from Chinese to English, (4) comparison of original and back-translated English versions, and (5) evaluation of the translated scale by a committee of bilingual Taiwanese experts. The translated CDSE scale was tested with 156 community-dwelling Taiwanese older adults, and any problems occurring during the administration of the scale were documented.
Results and Conclusions: The validity and reliability of the Chinese version of CDSE scale were acceptable. However, the validity of items may have been impacted by differences in culture, language, and educational levels between English-speaking and Chinese-speaking populations. These findings suggest the need for further methodological study to evaluate and refine translation tools to resolve differences in culture, language, and educational levels between SL and TL.     

Further assessment of a method to estimate reliability and validity of qualitative research findings

The reliability and validity of qualitative research findings are viewed with scepticism by some scientists. This scepticism is derived from the belief that qualitative researchers give insufficient attention to estimating reliability and validity of data, and the differences between quantitative and qualitative methods in assessing data. The danger of this scepticism is that relevant and applicable research findings will not be used. Our purpose is to describe an evaluative strategy for use with qualitative data, a strategy that is a synthesis of quantitative and qualitative assessment methods. Results of the strategy and factors that influence its use are also described.     

Judging the 'weight of evidence' in systematic reviews: introducing rigour into the qualitative overview stage by assessing Signal and Noise

The 'weight of evidence' in a topic area can be judged by assessing the 'Signal' from available research publications and tempering the importance attached by the level of 'Noise' (the inverse of methodological quality). This assessment process has validity and reliability and can be applied to the 'qualitative overview' stage of systematic reviews. This enables the important themes and areas of relevance to the research question to be identified. Important findings from individual papers may also be identified providing further information which may not be evident from quantitative analysis. The findings from these more qualitative stages of analysis complement, but do not replace, quantitative analysis.     

Perceptions of effectiveness of nurse-managed clinics: A cross-cultural study

OBJECTIVE: To study perceptions of the effectiveness of two nurse-managed clinics (NMCs), one in the United States and the other in New Zealand. DESIGN: Cross-cultural evaluation study utilizing qualitative methodology; two rounds of in-depth interviews were tape recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed for themes. SAMPLE: Data were initially collected from 21 participants. Sixteen of the original participants participated in a second interview. INTERVENTION: The first round of interviews and provisional data analysis were conducted in the respective NMCs; joint data analysis to identify themes and develop a preliminary joint report of findings followed. Sixteen participants responded to the provisional report; additional data analysis resulted in the final report of findings. RESULTS: Analysis of the data yielded three categories: the NMC milieu affects perceived effectiveness; perceptions are shaped by contrasting with past experiences; and the level of care affects personal health care decisions. CONCLUSIONS: The milieu created in the NMC enhances perceptions of effectiveness and responsibility for personal health care. Further research related to effectiveness of NMC models of care and client outcomes is needed. Qualitative methodology is recommended for cross-cultural research.     

Development and psychometric evaluation of the German version of the Medication Regimen Complexity Index (MRCI-D)

Background Several factors contribute to the complexity of pharmacotherapeutic regimens, like the total number of medications to be taken, the number of dosage units to take at a time, dosage frequency, as well as specific directions concerning the administration. The Medication Regimen Complexity Index (MRCI) is a validated instrument developed in English for the measurement of the complexity of a given pharmacotherapeutic regimen. Objectives Translation of the MRCI into German and evaluation of the translated instrument (MRCI‐D) in order to make it more easily accessible for use in German practice and research. Methods The process of validation included the translation of the English version to German, back‐translation into English, comparison of the back‐translated and the original versions, pre‐tests, and pilot‐testing of the German version by three raters using 20 medication regimens for inpatients. The subsequent psychometric evaluation included the calculation of inter‐rater and test–retest reliability, as well as the assessment of convergent validity. Results The number of medications correlated highly and statistically significantly with the MRCI‐D score (0.91, P < 0.001), indicating sufficient convergent validity of the instrument. Both inter‐rater and test–retest reliability were very high (intraclass correlation coefficients above 0.80 in all cases). Conclusion Our results demonstrate that the German version of the MRCI reflects the complexity of therapeutic regimens with similar validity and reliability as the established English version. Thus, it may be a valuable tool to analyse therapeutic regimens in both clinical practice and science.     

Cross-Cultural Reliability of the Health Perception Index and the Health Control and Competence Index

PURPOSE: To test the reliability of two Spanish instruments to measure (a) health perceptions, and (b) health control and competence. DESIGN: Triangulated methodology used with two different Latino populations. METHODS: Preliminary qualitative data were collected in Mexico. Based on themes from Mexico, data were collected from 44 men (Dominican Republic, n=24 ; Peru, n=20) with two instruments, the Health Competence and Control Index and the Health Perception Index. Alpha reliability estimates were obtained. FINDINGS: Results of the study confirmed reliability of the instruments in one of the Latino populations, consistent with understanding of the constructs found in the Mexican study. Reliability was low in the second Latino population. CONCLUSIONS: Although results from this study are useful, further translation and research procedures are needed to address the many differences among ethnically similar groups and to further strengthen internal and external validity of instruments designed to assess Latino men's perceptions of health and their control over health.     

The reliability and validity of the Chinese version of the caregiver burden inventory

BACKGROUND: The assessment of burden has become a challenging task for most researchers because cultural, ethical, religious, and other personal values may influence perceptions of the meaning and consequences of burden. The lack of examination of the psychometric properties of the burden measures across studies limits the scientific rigor for generating additional research into "burden." OBJECTIVE: To examine the psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the Caregiver Burden Inventory for its utility in clinical and research practice. METHOD: The first investigation evaluated the consistency between the Chinese and English versions of the Caregiver Burden Inventory. The second investigation established the internal consistent reliability, test-retest reliability, content validity, concurrent validity, and construct validity. RESULTS: A paired -test and intra-class correlation indicated that the Chinese version of the Caregiver Burden Inventory was a very good reflection of the English version and demonstrated item equivalence. It also showed adequate internal consistency reliability, appropriate content validity, and concurrent validity. Factor analysis revealed moderate intercorrelations between subscales and high factor loadings also helped to clarify the psychometric meaning. DISCUSSION: The reliability and validity information presented in this paper support using the Chinese version of the Caregiver Burden Inventory as a research instrument in measuring the caregiver burden in the Chinese population. Further study is needed to discriminate the developmental, emotional, and social burden constructs.     

Using an interpreter in qualitative interviews: does it threaten validity?

There is an extensive literature on the problem of translating scales for use across cultures, but very little is published on the problems of conducting qualitative interviews in another language with assistance of an interpreter. The aim of this paper is to describe and discuss threats to validity that arise when conducting qualitative interviews using an interpreter. Ten female student nurses in two cities in Lithuania were interviewed about how they perceived their educational program. All interviews were conducted in English with an interpreter. When using an interpreter to conduct interviews, potential threats to validity arise at various points in the interview process. A threat arises when the researcher, whose first language is Swedish, addresses a question in English to the interpreter, another during the translation by the interpreter from English to Lithuanian, and again when the interpreter translates the interviewee's Lithuanian responses to English. In the last situation, the researcher may not know whether the interpreter has summarized and/or modified the responses. To mitigate these problems, the interpreter should not only have the required linguistic abilities, but also be trained in the research field. The researcher has to be aware of these threats to validity and make efforts to meet and limit their effects.     

An example of the use of repertory grid technique in assessing nurses' self-perceptions of caring

This paper describes how the repertory grid technique was used to structure interviews with ward sisters and charge nurses to explore their perceptions about the nature of caring in nursing practice. Informants were also asked to assess themselves as carers. The interviews generated both qualitative and quantitative data and the findings which emerged were used to guide further qualitative interviews with nurses and patients in the next stage of the study.     

城市分娩创伤量表的汉化及信效度检验

目的 汉化城市分娩创伤量表（City Birth Trauma Scale,City BiTS）,并对其信效度进行检验。方法 采用Brislin翻译模型对量表进行翻译、回译和文化调试,形成中文版City BiTS。2019年6月—10月,采用便利抽样法对镇江市2所三级甲等医院的328名产妇进行问卷调查,评价量表的信效度。结果 中文版City BiTS共29个条目,对症状反应量表（Q3~Q22）进行探索性因子分析,共提取2个公因子,累计方差贡献率为54.907%;总量表的Cronbach’s α系数为0.934,各维度的Cronbach’s α系数为0.896~0.906,重测信度为0.908,折半信度为0.821;总量表的内容效度指数为0.93,各维度的内容效度指数为0.83~1.00。结论 中文版City BiTS在国内文化背景下具有良好的信效度,为国内诊断产后创伤后应激障碍提供可靠的研究工具,并为医护人员实施心理干预提供依据。     

Development of Self-Efficacy Questionnaire for Chinese Family Caregivers

The purpose of this study was to develop a Self-Efficacy Questionnaire for Chinese Family Caregivers. Semi-structured interviews with 10 family caregivers of people with dementia were conducted to explore how Chinese caregivers manage caregiving and what difficulties they face. The findings of the study assisted in the development of the instrument. Five categories of caregiver behaviours were identified from the qualitative data: gathering information about treatment, symptoms, and health care; obtaining support; responding to behaviour disturbances; managing household, personal, and medical care; and managing distress associated with caregiving. The challenges of caregiving were also identified, including deterioration of care recipients, particularly their behaviour disturbances, a shortage of supportive resources, stigmatization of dementia among the general population, as well as increased distress and decreased social activities due to increased care demand. The findings were used to develop the Self-Efficacy Questionnaire for Chinese Family Caregivers, and 35 items comprising five subscales (representing the above five categories of caregiver behaviour) were generated.     

Translation and evaluation of Chinese version of the symptom experience index

Symptom assessment is crucial for patient care through the entire disease trajectory. Patients often experience multiple symptoms concurrently. The symptom experience index is reliable and valid as an instrument developed in the USA for assessing multiple symptoms and distress. The aim of the study was to translate and evaluate the Chinese version of the instrument in healthy adults and oncology patients. This is a psychometric study with a cross‐sectional design. To ensure the semantic equivalence and content validity, an integrative translation method was employed to translate the English version into Chinese language. The participants were recruited during 2014 from a large university, two university‐affiliated hospitals and a community in Changchun, China. The Chinese version demonstrated high internal consistency, test–retest reliability and content validity. Construct validity was supported by factor analysis and significant differences of symptom experience scores between healthy and oncology groups. Participants' acceptance of the Chinese version and its ability to collect adequate data among Chinese population provided evidence for using this version among Chinese population. This study provided initial evidence to support the psychometric properties of the Chinese version. The Chinese version demonstrated adequate reliability and validity to assess multiple symptom experience by Chinese populations.     

Caring for female patients: The experiences of male nurses

This article presents the results of two small qualitative studies, which examined the experiences of six male registered psychiatric nurses (RPN) and five male registered general nurses (RGN) when caring for patients of the opposite sex. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect the data. The focus of the interviews was an attempt to describe the male nurses' experiences of caring for women with a particular emphasis on interventions that involved physical touch. Themes were generated from both studies and the common themes are presented here. Male nurses in this study were often apprehensive about using physical touch and they used coping strategies in response to their fears of being accused of using touch inappropriately. Several factors also influenced the male nurses when using physical touch as an intervention. These findings suggest that learning about caring for female patients needs to be included in the undergraduate curriculum and that further research on the experience of men as nurses is required.     

A review of qualitative research on the childhood cancer experience from the perspective of siblings: a need to give them a voice.

Researchers are increasingly adopting the qualitative research paradigm to study the world of siblings of children with cancer. The purpose of this review article is to identify the contributions of qualitative research in advancing the understanding of the childhood cancer experience from the perspective of siblings. Articles were selected for inclusion if (1) written in English; (2) published in a peer-reviewed journal between 1979 and present or, if a doctoral dissertation, easily accessible to the authors; (4) cited a specific qualitative research design or some type of qualitative research method of data collection and analysis; and (4) involved siblings of children with cancer as sole research participants or as research participants within the context of the family. Twenty-seven qualitative research studies were reviewed. Three themes emerged from an analysis of the primary findings: (1) changing lives, (2) intense feelings, and (3) unmet needs. Limitations in the conceptualization, research design, and research methods of the qualitative studies are discussed. Suggestions that will help researchers in conducting qualitative research with siblings are also presented.     

Assessing the reliability and validity of the Chinese version of the California Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory.

The purpose of this study was to: (1) translate the California Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory (CCTDI) from English to Chinese; (2) ascertain the reliability and validity of Chinese CCTDI; and (3) assess the psychometric equivalencies across Chinese and English versions of the CCTDI. The CCTDI was designed to measure critical thinking dispositions of truth-seeking, open-mindedness, analyticity, systematicity, inquisitiveness, self-confidence and maturity, which has been approved with a significant difference from prior conceptualizations of critical thinking dispositions. It is the only measurement that has been validated to measure critical thinking disposition and is appropriate for use in nursing. Based on translation theory, the comparative study goal precisely matched with the strategy of decentered translation. The CCTDI was translated in multiple stages and back translated by a panel of bilingual experts. Content validity index (CVI) ranged from 0.50 to 0.80, with an overall CVI of 0.85. Pearson r ranged from 0.33 to 0.79, with an overall correlation of 0.79, indicating that evidence for stability in truth-seeking, open-mindedness and self-confidence existed. To ascertain internal consistency reliability and construct validity, monolingual samples were obtained from 214 and 196 undergraduate nursing students from Taiwan and the USA, respectively. For the Chinese CCTDI, subscale alphas ranged from 0.34 to 0.73, with an overall alpha of 0.71. For the English CCTDI, subscale alphas ranging from 0.52 to 0.73 and an overall alpha of 0.71 were obtained. In terms of a confirmatory factor analysis with LInear Structural RELationships (LISREL), the results indicate that evidence for construct validity existed for truth-seeking, open-mindedness, systematicity, and maturity for the Chinese CCTDI. After allowing some error to exist and deleting three items, evidence for construct validity existed for the remaining subscales. The results of the psychometric equivalencies across Chinese and English CCTDI showed similarity for content validity and reliability for inquisitiveness. In terms of multisample analysis, there were equal forms across all subscales of the two versions. Consequently, although the translation adequacy of the Chinese CCTDI needs to be improved, there is evidence that it is useful for evaluating critical thinking dispositions.