Psychometric evaluation of a revised Family Collaboration Scale

Measuring family caregivers’ experiences of collaboration with nurses is important in the context of health care reforms that advocate an increased role of families in care. The Family Collaboration Scale (FCS) measures collaboration between nurses and family caregivers, however, the scale has a broad scope. Thus, the aim of this study was to construct a measure that is focused on collaboration only. After revision, a 25-item version of the FCS was sent to 777 family caregivers of hospitalized patients (≥70 years). Psychometric evaluation was employed by the Non-Parametric Item Response Theory to evaluate how items of the revised FCS behave. In total, 302 (39%) family caregivers were found eligible, mean (SD) age 65 (13) and 71% female. A 20-item FCS is proposed showing good psychometric properties. This study contributes to the limited knowledge of measuring collaboration between family caregivers and nurses.     

Psychometric evaluation of the Hemodialysis Stressor Scale

This report updates the psychometric information available on the Hemodialysis Stressor Scale. The tool is a 29-item scale that rates the incidence and severity of stressors associated with hemodialysis treatment of end-stage renal disease. Six items are classified as physiologic stressors and 23 as psychosocial stressors. Alpha homogeneity coefficients achieved acceptable standards for reliability. Content validity is demonstrated by the varied sources used to ascertain pertinent items for the scale. Construct validity of the scale was investigated by factor analysis (N = 174). A two-factor solution to evaluate the validity of the physiological-psychosocial dichotomy showed insufficient support for this simplistic dichotomous classification of hemodialysis stressors. A subsequent unrestricted factor solution to explore the multidimensionality of the scale yielded eight factors, but only three were significant, so a three-factor solution was subjected to rotation. The content of the 6 physiological and 9 psychosocial items loading significantly on Factor I characterized this factor as psychobiological; Factor II consisted of 12 psychological and social stressors; Factor III pertained to 8 dependency and restriction stressors. The three-factor solution was seen as the best-fitting solution with this particular data set because it was conceptually clear, informative, and parsimonious.     

Psychometric evaluation of the Writing-To-Learn Attitude Survey

The Writing-To-Learn Attitude Survey (WTLAS) was developed to measure the effects of using writing-to-learn activities in the classroom, but adequate psychometric data have not been reported for the measure. Using the pretest scores from 149 basic and RN-to-BSN nursing students enrolled in a Nursing Management and Leadership course, the reliability and validity of the WTLAS were evaluated. The initial 30-item measure demonstrated acceptable reliability, but the item intercorrelations suggested revision of the subscales was appropriate. After exploratory factor analyses, the WTLAS was revised to 21 items and consists of two factors: Apprehensions about Writing Abilities and Perceived Benefits of Writing-To-Learn Activities. Both subscales possess acceptable internal consistency reliability and conceptually sound, significant correlations with a separate measure of writing apprehension. The revised WTLAS appears to have adequate psychometric properties for further use in the evaluation of students' perceptions of writing-to-learn activities.     

Psychometric evaluation of the Energy Conservation Strategies Survey

OBJECTIVE: To examine the internal consistency and test-retest reliability of the Energy Conservation Strategies Survey (ECSS), a tool that was specifically designed to determine if people with multiple sclerosis who attended the six-week energy conservation course actually implemented the strategies taught to them. DESIGN: The instrument ECSS was administered at six weeks and seven weeks post intervention to evaluate the test-retest reliability, while data from six weeks post intervention were utilized to assess the internal consistency of the ECSS. SETTING: Community locations in Illinois and Minnesota, USA. SUBJECTS: Data from 53 participants with multiple sclerosis living in the community were utilized for the psychometric study. MEASURES: Energy Conservation Strategies Survey. RESULTS: The internal consistency of 0.92 reveals that all the items are consistent with each other and measure a single construct. Inferential analyses using intraclass correlation coefficient indicates good test-retest reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) = 0.79). CONCLUSION: Findings of the study suggest that the ECSS exhibits high internal consistency and good test-retest reliability. The study implies that the ECSS could be valuable in measuring changes in behaviour over time among people with multiple sclerosis after the completion of the six-week energy conservation course provided by occupational therapists.     

Psychometric properties of the scorable self-care evaluation.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to examine evidence for the reliability and validity of the Scorable Self-Care Evaluation (SSCE), an 18-item assessment of observed and perceived self-care performance commonly used with persons with psychiatric disabilities. METHOD: As part of a longitudinal study, 70 adults with psychiatric disabilities were administered two cognitive measures, the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test and the Logical Memory subscales of the Weschler Memory Scale, at baseline, and the SSCE at follow-up. After transforming the weighted item scores, intraclass correlation coefficients were used to examine inter-rater reliability and Rasch analysis was used to examine internal consistency of the SSCE. Spearman rank-order correlations were used to examine construct validity. RESULTS: High interrater reliabilities were found for the four subscale scores (ICCs ranging from .96 to 1.00, p < .001) and the total scores (ICC = .98, p < .001) of the SSCE. Rasch analysis indicated that no items misfit; however, some items showed a weak distribution across all possible scores. The SSCE subscale and total scores correlated to varying degrees with the cognitive measures. CONCLUSION: The SSCE has the potential to be a reliable and valid clinical measure, as demonstrated by the results of the current study. However, these results were only achieved using a transformation of the current scoring system for the SSCE, pointing to the need for further revision of the test items and scoring system.     

Psychometric evaluation of biogenic versus psychogenic erectile dysfunction

Psychological test data, including the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI), Symptom Check List (SCL-90R) and the Derogatis Stress Profile (DSP), was analyzed for male veterans who had been previously diagnosed as suffering from either psychogenic or biogenic erectile dysfunction. Consistent with previous studies, there were no significant differences found between the two groups on the MMPI profile scores and the selected research scales. However, there were also no differences found on either the SCL-90R or the DSP, further questioning the use of objective psychometric instruments in discriminating the etiology of sexual dysfunction.     

Psychometric evaluation of the Hendrich Fall Risk Model

AIMS: The aim of this paper is to report a psychometric evaluation of the Hendrich Fall Risk Model. BACKGROUND: Thoroughly developed and tested instruments for assessment of fall risk are needed to identify patients at risk of falling, to enable the implementation of preventative measures. METHOD: Data from 1977 patients/residents in 45 nursing homes and 7197 patients from 47 hospitals were evaluated in a cross-sectional survey. The internal consistency of the Hendrich Fall Risk Model was examined using the Kuder-Richardson Test. The dimensions of the model were revealed by exploratory factor analysis and the Care Dependency Scale was used to investigate construct validity. Using Spearman Rho the sum of weighted items was correlated with the sum of unweighted items to obtain information about the practicability of a weighted total score. The study was carried out in 2003. RESULTS: The internal consistency of the model was not high (alpha = 0.54). Additionally, factor analysis showed that the model had more than one dimension. The correlation between the fall risk model and Care Dependency Scale was quite high for hospital patients and the total group (Spearman Rho = -0.71 or -0.76 respectively, P < 0.01) and medium for nursing home residents (Spearman Rho = -0.51, P < 0.01). The total scores of the weighted and unweighted items correlated highly (Spearman Rho = 0.96, P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The use of this risk model is not recommended for nursing homes. For hospitals, we advise the use of unweighted items.     

Psychometric evaluation of four HIV disease-specific quality-of-life instruments

OBJECTIVE: To provide a comparative evaluation of psychometric properties for three or more HIV disease-specific quality-of-life (QoL) instruments. METHODS: Four instruments were selected using the following criteria: multiple publiations of instrument, focus of instrument on QoL, psychometric validation publication or comparison with prevoiusly validated questionnaire, stages of HIV/AIDS used or evaluated in the study, and inclusion of sample items or the instrument in at least one publication. The four HIV-specific QoL instruments were: HIV/AIDS-Targeted Quality of Life Instrument, Medical Outcomes Study HIV questionnaire (MOS-HIV), Functional Assessment of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection, and HIV Overview of Problems -- Evaluation System. These instruments were evaluated using combined criteria derived from McHorney and Tarlov and Shumaker et al. The criteria include: administration, content, depth, reliability, validity, and responsiveness. A letter grade scale (A,B,C,D) was used in rating the criteria. RESULTS: No instrument demonstrated ideal psychometric properties. The MOS-HIV questionnaire was the only instrument that published results for seven of the eight categories. Therefore, a decision cannot be made about the best instrument to use for measuring QoL in an HIV-positive patient. CONCLUSIONS: Published data for these questionnaires had common limitations of sample size, study design, and population demograhpics, Hence, further testing of these questionnaires is recommended before use in any study to determine suitability, reliability and validity.     

Psychometric evaluation of the Drug Avoidance Self-Efficacy Scale

Purpose: The aim of this study was to adapt the Drug Avoidance Efficacy Scale, and to assess the validity and reliability of the scale in Turkish adolescents.

Methods: This is a psychometric study. The number of students who were recruited was twenty times the number of scale items. A convenience sample of 320 undergraduate students was recruited from a university in Turkey.

Result: Principal component analysis identified one factor. The factor loadings of the items were ranged 0.41–0.91. The internal reliability coefficient was 0.70 for the scale. It was also found that the scale explained 73.1% of the total variance.

Conclusion: According to the results of this study, it may be statedthat this study provides evidence for the Drug Avoidance Self-Efficacy Scale’s validity and reliability.     

Managing side-effects to the optimum: valuing a client's experience

Despite the recent emergence of psychosocial interventions and other forms of practical treatments, antipsychotic medication remains the cornerstone of treatment for schizophrenia, as it is recognized to be effective in reducing relapse rates. Nevertheless, the side-effects of psychotropic medication make adherence to treatment regimens difficult for many clients and, until recently, little has been done by mental health nurses to consistently monitor or manage these symptoms. This report describes how the integration of knowledge and clinical skills in psychopharmacology optimized one client's concordance with medication. It reports on 'John's' treatment experience with medication and addresses the role that mental health nurses can play in appraising pharmaceutical effects, and assessing and working with side-effects, using a medication-management multidisciplinary team approach.     

Psychometric evaluation and feasibility of the Greek Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (GR-PSQI) in patients with cancer receiving chemotherapy

Purpose  

Quality of sleep in patients with cancer is regarded as of utmost importance. The aim of the present study was to assess psychometric properties and feasibility of the Greek version of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (GR-PSQI).     

Psychometric evaluation of the Positions on Nursing Diagnosis scale

AimTo study the psychometric properties of the Positions on Nursing Diagnosis (PND) scale.BackgroundThe PND is a scale to measure nurses' attitudes toward nursing diagnosis. In previous studies, reliability of the scale was supported but its construct validity is still unclear with studies reporting both one-factor and three-factor models.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted with a convenience sample of 262 nurses enrolled from one general public hospital and three long-term care facilities in Italy. Construct validity was assessed with confirmatory factor analysis. Criterion and contrasting-group validities were tested, as well as internal consistency reliability.ResultsConfirmatory factor analysis showed the adequacy of a one-factor model of the PND scale. Criterion and contrasting-group validities were supportive, as was internal consistency reliability.ConclusionsThe PND is a valid and reliable scale to measure nurses' attitudes toward nursing diagnosis. Its use in practice and research is recommended.     

Psychometric evaluation of the nurses' attitudes toward eICU scale

The eICU technology system has been implemented nationwide to facilitate efficient and safe care for patients. The purpose of this study was to provide psychometric evidence of the reliability and validity of an instrument, the Nurses' Attitudes Toward eICU Scale (NATES). The study involved 117 registered nurses working in critical care units that had not yet implemented eICU technology. The reliability for the total scale was .91. Factor analysis results supported construct validity and indicated that five factors accounted for 67.3% of variance in the data: Cost and Benefit; Patient Care and Quality; Anxiety and Confidence: Effort; and Anger and Fear. The NATES showed promise as a psychometrically sound instrument for assessing nurses' attitudes toward eICU technology.     

Psychometric evaluation of the Telenursing Interaction and Satisfaction Scale

Aims and Objectives

Interaction between caller and telenurse in telenursing is important for caller satisfaction and subsequent compliance. Despite this, satisfaction measures with focus on interaction in telenursing are scarce and rarely anchored in nursing theory. The aim was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Telenursing Interaction and Satisfaction Scale (TISS) with focus on data quality, factor structure, convergent validity, and reliability.

Methodological Design and Justification

This psychometric study was based on cross-sectional data.

Research Methods, Instruments, and/or Interventions

Callers to the National Medical Advisory Service in Sweden (n = 616) completed the 60-item Telenursing Interaction and Satisfaction Questionnaire based on Cox's Interaction Model of Client Health Behavior. Twenty-five of these items were selected to form the TISS in four subscales according to the model. Data quality was evaluated in terms of missing data patterns and score distributions. The factor structure was evaluated with confirmatory factor analysis for ordinal data, convergent validity with Spearman correlations, internal consistency with ordinal alpha, scale reliability with composite reliability coefficients, and test–retest reliability with intraclass correlations.

Results

The amount of missing data was acceptable and equally distributed. Data deviated significantly from a normal distribution. All response options were endorsed. The factor analysis confirmed the hypothesised four-factor structure; factor loadings ranged from 0.56 to 0.97 and factor correlations were high (0.88–0.96). Internal consistency (ordinal alpha = 0.82–0.97), scale reliability (0.88–0.99), and test–retest reliability (ICC = 0.77–0.86) were satisfactory for all scales.

Study Limitations

The study design did not allow drop-out analysis.

Conclusions

The TISS showed satisfactory psychometric properties in the study sample. It provides a measure that enables quantitative measurement of caller satisfaction with interaction in telenursing.