Properties of a Norwegian version of the Ward Organisational Features Scales

To assess the association between nurses' practice environment and established measures of discharged patients' experiences during hospitalisation it is necessary to have a validated instrument to collect data on nurses' work environment in hospital wards. The purpose of this study was to assess the reliability and validity of a Norwegian version of the Ward Organisational Features Scales (WOFS), an instrument developed in the UK to describe environmental factors influential on the effectiveness of nursing services. After linguistic adaptation of the questionnaire, the reliability and validity were assessed in a sample of 99 nurses, of whom 46 (45%) responded. Most of the 12 tested scales showed acceptable internal consistency (10 had Cronbach's alpha > 0.70) and test-retest reliability (eight had intraclass correlation coefficient >0.70). The WOFS scales' correlations with external variables were in line with hypothesised correlations, thus supporting their validity. Scales describing nurses' influence on ward organisation and management did not perform well, probably due to differences in intraward organisation in the two countries. In spite of a limited sample size this study suggests that the majority of the scales of the WOFS showed satisfactory psychometric properties. They can be useful for assessing and describing aspects of nurses' work environment in Norwegian hospitals.     

Validity and reliability of the Turkish Migraine Disability Assessment (MIDAS) questionnaire

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study is to assess the comprehensibility, internal consistency, patient-physician reliability, test-retest reliability, and validity of Turkish version of Migraine Disability Assessment (MIDAS) questionnaire in patients with headache. BACKGROUND: MIDAS questionnaire has been developed by Stewart et al and shown to be reliable and valid to determine the degree of disability caused by migraine. DESIGN AND METHODS: This study was designed as a national multicenter study to demonstrate the reliability and validity of Turkish version of MIDAS questionnaire. Patients applying to 17 Neurology Clinics in Turkey were evaluated at the baseline (visit 1), week 4 (visit 2), and week 12 (visit 3) visits in terms of disease severity and comprehensibility, internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and validity of MIDAS. Since the severity of the disease has been found to change significantly at visit 2 compared to visit 1, test-retest reliability was assessed using the MIDAS scores of a subgroup of patients whose disease severity remained unchanged (up to +/-3 days difference in the number of days with headache between visits 1 and 2). RESULTS: A total of 306 patients (86.2% female, mean age: 35.0 +/- 9.8 years) were enrolled into the study. A total of 65.7%, 77.5%, 82.0% of patients reported that "they had fully understood the MIDAS questionnaire" in visits 1, 2, and 3, respectively. A highly positive correlation was found between physician and patient and the applied total MIDAS scores in all three visits (Spearman correlation coefficients were R= 0.87, 0.83, and 0.90, respectively, P <.001). Internal consistency of MIDAS was assessed using Cronbach's alpha and was found at acceptable (>0.7) or excellent (>0.8) levels in both patient and physician applied MIDAS scores, respectively. Total MIDAS score showed good test-retest reliability (R= 0.68). Both the number of days with headache and the total MIDAS scores were positively correlated at all visits with correlation coefficients between 0.47 and 0.63. There was also a moderate degree of correlation (R= 0.54) between the total MIDAS score at week 12 and the number of days with headache at visit 2 + visit 3, which quantify headache-related disability over a 3-month period similar to MIDAS questionnaire. CONCLUSION: These findings demonstrated that the Turkish translation is equivalent to the English version of MIDAS in terms of internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and validity. Physicians can reliably use the Turkish translation of the MIDAS questionnaire in defining the severity of illness and its treatment strategy when applied as a self-administered report by migraine patients themselves.     

Development, reliability, and validity of the Handwriting Proficiency Screening Questionnaire (HPSQ)

OBJECTIVE: This study was used to (1) develop an occupational therapy screening questionnaire (the Handwriting Proficiency Screening Questionnaire [HPSQ]) to identify handwriting difficulties among school-aged children and (2) examine its reliability and validity. METHOD: The questionnaire's content validity was established. Internal consistency, interrater and test-retest reliability, and concurrent and construct validity were initiated. Participants included 7- to 14-year-old (N = 230) typically developing school-aged children. RESULTS: The tool demonstrated good internal consistency (alpha = .90). Test-retest reliability for the score revealed an intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) of .84 and interrater reliability of ICC = .92 for the total questionnaire score. Construct and concurrent validity were also confirmed. CONCLUSION: The HPSQ is suitable for use by occupational therapists for identification of handwriting deficiency among school-aged children and is appropriate for varied academic and clinical uses. More studies with larger samples of varied age groups are required to further support the questionnaire's reliability and validity.     

Development of a standardized instrument to assess computer task performance.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine the psychometric properties of the Assessment of Computer Task Performance, specifically, the test-retest reliability, internal consistency, construct validity, and ability to discriminate between known groups. METHOD: This assessment comprises 14 standardized and timed tasks. It was administered to 24 persons with upper-extremity impairments and 30 with no impairments by a trained occupational therapist. To assess the test-retest reliability, participants in the impaired group were retested within 2 to 7 days. Intraclass correlation coefficients were calculated to determine test-retest reliability. Internal consistency was assessed with Cronbach's alpha, and factor analysis was conducted to examine construct validity. The Mann Whitney U Test was used to assess the test's ability to discriminate between the groups. RESULTS: Results indicated that the tool has excellent reliability and internal consistency, can discriminate between groups, and has appropriate construct validity. CONCLUSION: The Assessment of Computer Task Performance provides occupational therapists with an accurate test to measure computer performance and can assist them in providing computer access services.     

Content validity and reliability testing of the FIN-PED II: A tool to measure care needs of parents of children with cancer

This study tested the reliability and validity of the refined Family Inventory of Needs-Pediatrics (FIN-PED), the FIN-PED II, a 17-item instrument structured to measure care needs of parents of children with cancer. The instrument comprises three rating scales. The first rating scale measures the importance-of-care needs, the second measures the extent to which needs are met, and the third measures the need for further information. The revised instrument was first pilot tested with an expert panel of three mothers and three fathers of children with cancer who rated the tool for clarity, apparent internal consistency, and content validity. All items met preset criteria for these assessments. The instrument was then mailed to 85 parents of Australian children with cancer and tested for internal consistency reliability and test-retest reliability. Thirty-four parents returned the instrument. All three rating scales achieved high estimates of internal consistency. Evidence of the instrument's stability over time was also achieved. This study provided support for the reliability and content validity of the FIN-PED II.     

Development and testing of an instrument to assess nurses' knowledge, risk perception, health beliefs and behaviours related to influenza vaccination

Aims and objectives. To develop an instrument to measure nurses' knowledge, risk perception and health beliefs towards influenza and influenza vaccination and their vaccination behaviours and evaluate its construct validity and internal consistency reliability. Background. Although instruments to assess predictors of nurses' vaccination behaviours have been developed, their validity and reliability have not been reported. Design. Instrument development and initial validity and reliability testing. Methods. The instrument was developed drawing on a literature review and expert consultation and was refined through pilot work. A cross-sectional survey using a revised version of the instrument was conducted among a convenience sample of 520 registered nurses (response rate 77·4%). Cronbach's alpha coefficient was calculated to determine internal consistency of the sub-scale in the instrument. Principal components analysis with varimax rotation was carried out to evaluate the instrument's construct validity and examine its internal structure. Results. Cronbach's alpha coefficients for the three newly developed scales ranged from 0·70-0·76. Principal components analysis produced a good fit and confirmed the internal design of the instrument. In the seasonal influenza knowledge sub-scale four factors explained 44·8% of the total variance; in the H1N1 knowledge sub-scale two factors explained 44·7% of the total variance. Three factors in the risk perception scale contributed 50·5% of the total variance and two factors in the vaccination behaviours scale contributed 62·1% of the total variance. Conclusions. An instrument has been developed to assess nurses' knowledge, risk perception and health beliefs towards influenza and influenza vaccination and their vaccination behaviours. The instrument was valid and reliable for the setting where it was used. Relevance to clinical practice. This instrument could be used to assess nurses' knowledge, risk perception, health beliefs towards influenza and influenza vaccination and their vaccination behaviours. The three newly developed scales could also be used independently to measure variables influencing nurses' vaccination practices.     

Validation of the verbal and social interaction questionnaire: nurses' focus in the nurse-patient relationship in forensic nursing care

There is a need to develop a questionnaire that measures nurses' verbal and social interactions (VSI) with their patients from the nurses' perspective as well as from the patients' perspective in the psychiatric and especially in the forensic psychiatric field. The major aim of the present study was to determine the construct validity and the internal consistency reliability of the VSI questionnaire. The study had a methodological and developmental design and was carried out in four steps: construction of the items, face validity, data collection and data analysis. The number of items was reduced from 50 to 21. The factor analysis of the final 21 items resulted in three quite distinct factors, namely, 'inviting the patient to establish a relationship', 'showing interest in the patients' feelings, experiences and behaviour' and 'helping the patients to establish structure and routines in their everyday life'. The results showed satisfactory psychometric properties in terms of content validity, construct validity and the internal consistency reliability of the questionnaire.     

Construct Validity,Test-Retest Reliability,and Internal Consistency of the Photo Elicitation Semantic Differential Scale (PESD) in Disability Studies

The Photo Elicitation Semantic Differential scale (PESD), developed to examine the social perception of disability and attitudes towards people with a disability (PwD), comprises six dimensions: communicativeness, competence, attractiveness, intelligence, industriousness, and popularity. This paper aims to assess the construct validity, test-retest reliability, and internal consistency of the PESD. A longitudinal study with 40 participants of the Swiss general population and 2 (test-retest) * 8 (different photographs) measurements per subject was performed. Construct validity was examined via Principal Component Analysis (PCA), test-retest reliability via the Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC) and a frequency analysis of deviations among test-retest scores, and internal consistency via Cronbach’s alpha. PCA extracted two factors corresponding to hard and soft skills for the test and a single factor for the retest. ICCs ranged from 0.44 (industriousness) to 0.60 (intelligence). Deviations between tests exceeding +/-1 were rather rare ranging from 6% (intelligence) to 14% (competence). Cronbach’s alpha equalled 0.814 and 0.858 for test and retest, respectively. Summarising, in our study the PESD appears to be a valid and reliable tool for the examination of the social perception of disability and attitudes towards PwD.     

心理承受力量表在临床护理人员中应用的信效度分析

目的 检验心理承受力量表在临床护理人员中应用的信效度,为下一步临床护理人员心理承受力状况的评估提供科学的测评工具.方法 采用一般资料问卷、心理承受力量表对485名护士进行问卷调查,并采用分半信度、内部一致性信度、重测信度进行信度检验,内容效度、结构效度进行效度检验.结果 心理承受力量表总分半信度系数为0.859,Cronbach's α系数为0.939,重测信度系数为0.797,量表各条目与所属维度相关系数r均在0.6以上,除掩饰因子外,量表各维度得分与量表总分之间相关系数均在0.75以上,探索性因子分析结果与问卷结构基本吻合,验证性因子最终模型拟合优度良好.结论 经验证,心理承受力量表具有较好的信度和效度,结构合理,可作为临床护理人员心理承受力状况的测评工具.     

Development of a questionnaire to evaluate patient satisfaction with medical encounters

Given that a medical practice exists for patients, it is worth determining the degree of patient satisfaction with regard to the medical practice's quality of care. Considering the importance of noticing patient satisfaction and its influence on clinical care, intense evaluation of a questionnaire's validity and reliability is essential. The purpose of this study was to establish a valid and reliable self-administered scale to measure patient satisfaction with fewer questions than previous scales applicable in medical settings in Japan. A qualitative method was used to develop and revise content-valid question items of the questionnaire. Factor analysis revealed five subscales among 12 items: "overall satisfaction", "complete examination", "patient centeredness", "examination time", and "whole person care". A test of internal consistency was also assessed. The concurrent validity was assessed to evaluate the association between the score of the current questionnaire and that of the visual analogue scale or other questionnaire. Agreement between two sets of score, scores just after consultation and 30-50 min after that, was assessed to evaluate the test-retest reliability of each question item. The results revealed satisfactory validity, including the content and concurrent validity, internal consistency (Cronback alpha = 0.77-0.85), and the test-retest reliability of our questionnaire (Kappa score = 0.61-0.71). In conclusion, we have developed a short-form self-administered patient satisfaction questionnaire applicable in Japan, with acceptable validity and reliability. This questionnaire may contribute to conducting further studies related to patient subjective responses to encounters in Japanese medical settings, and evaluating and improving the clinical interview skills of medical students or trainees in medical education.     

Validity and Reliability of a Swedish Questionnaire for Assessing Satisfaction with Housing and Housing Support for Persons with Psychiatric Disabilities

The aim of this study was to investigate the reliability and validity of a questionnaire for studying satisfaction with housing and housing support for people with psychiatric disabilities. Most items were gathered from English language questionnaires. These were translated and adapted to a Swedish context and items concerning housing support were added. Two studies were conducted. The first, a test-retest reliability analysis, was performed in a pilot study with 53 participants; in the second study, which had 370 participants, a five factor solution with good internal consistency emerged. Further development of the questionnaire is discussed.     

中文版库欣综合征患者生活质量问卷的信效度研究

目的评价中文版库欣综合征患者生活质量问卷(Cushing-Qol)的信度和效度。方法采用中文版库欣综合征患者生活质量问卷(Cushing-Qol)和简明健康调查问卷(SF-36)对79名库欣综合征患者进行问卷调查,应用SPSS 19.0软件对问卷的调查结果统计分析,检验问卷的内部一致性和重测信度以及内容效度、结构效度、效标关联效度。结果中文版Cushing-Qol问卷的内部一致性信度Cronbach’sα系数值为0.890,重测信度(2周后)为0.881,各条目的重测信度均大于0.7,折半信度为0.866;该问卷的内容效度指数CVI为0.95,探索性因子分析结果显示问卷为单维度,中文版Cushing-Qol问卷与SF-36量表的相关系数为0.732,表明两者呈强相关。结论中文版Cushing-Qol问卷具有较好的信度和效度,可作为库欣综合征患者生活质量评估的可靠工具应用于临床实践和相关研究中。     

护士群体互联网+护理服务使用意愿影响因素量表的编制及信效度检验

目的 开发护士群体对“互联网+护理服务”使用意愿影响因素量表。方法 基于价值接受模型的理论框架开发量表,在广东省采用方便抽样法调查 5个城市8家医院,共发放问卷 600份,回收有效问卷 497份,有效回收率82.8%。结果 量表及各潜变量 Cronbach系数均>0.800,具有较好的内部一致性信度。验证性因子分析结果显示χ²/df=2.517,AIC=17316.803,BIC=17742.738,CFI=0.929,TLI=0.918,RMSEA=0.071,SRMR=0.041,模型拟合指数良好。量表各条目因子负荷量0.719~0.945,信度系数0.516~0.893,组合信度系数0.847~0.953,表明量表的信效度较为理想。结论 该问卷可用于测量护士群体对“互联网+护理服务”的使用意愿及其影响因素。     

Parents' postnatal sense of security (PPSS): development of the PPSS instrument

BACKGROUND: There is a need to develop an instrument that measures both the parents' experiences and sense of security during the first postnatal week. No instrument measuring positive dimensions which can be influenced and supported by the postnatal health care has been developed. OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to develop a specific instrument to assess both mothers' and fathers' postnatal sense of security concerning the first postnatal week. DESIGN: The study has a methodological and developmental design and was carried out in four steps: construction of the items, face validity, data collection and data analysis. SETTINGS AND PARTICIPANTS: One hundred and thirteen mothers who had given birth in hospitals in southern Sweden and 99 fathers comprised the study participants. DATA ANALYSIS: Statistical analysis, testing for construct validity with explorative factor analysis, internal consistency reliability and comparative validity was carried out. RESULTS: The parents' postnatal sense of security (PPSS) instrument, mother's version, was reduced from 37 to 18 items (explained variance 66.8%, Cronbach's coefficient alpha 0.88) comprising the following dimensions: a sense of the midwives'/nurses' empowering behaviour, a sense of general well-being, a sense of affinity within the family and a sense that breast feeding was manageable. The father's version was reduced from 36 to 13 items (explained variance 69%, Cronbach's coefficient alpha 0.77), and comprised the following dimensions: a sense of the midwives'/nurses' empowering behaviour, a sense of the mother's general well-being including breast feeding, a sense of general well-being and a sense of affinity within the family. CONCLUSIONS: The PPSS instrument is valid and reliable and the only specific instrument measuring postnatal sense of security that is useful for both parents. The instrument needs to be further evaluated.     

Development of a questionnaire assessing work-related stress in women – identifying individuals who risk being put on sick leave

Purpose.?To develop a self-administered questionnaire assessing work-related stress in women, aiming to identify individuals that risk long-term sick leave, and to evaluate the reliability of the questionnaire.

Method.?The study was carried out in two phases. The initial phase was to construct the questionnaire and to confirm its face validity. The second phase was to test the reliability of the questionnaire.

Results.?The questionnaire was constructed from an empirical standpoint and based on a qualitative study. Two main themes were identified: One was related to factors at work and the other to the persons themselves. Eight categories were recognized from these themes and questions were constructed. A pilot group confirmed the validity of the questions. A first version of the questionnaire was subjected to test-retest analysis and all unstable items were improved. The reliability of the revised version was satisfactory.

Conclusions.?A simple questionnaire, containing 20 questions assessing work-related stress in women, with the purpose of identifying individuals that risk long-term sick leave was developed. The questionnaire was found to have good face validity and high reliability. Since there is a need for preventive methods in identifying individuals that risk being put on sick leave, this questionnaire can be a useful tool for health professionals.     

Psychometric properties of the Fear-Avoidance Beliefs Questionnaire in patients with neck pain

OBJECTIVES: To translate the Fear-Avoidance Beliefs Questionnaire and investigate the validity and reliability of the Chinese version of the questionnaire in patients with neck pain. DESIGN: Observational cross-sectional and prospective study. SETTING: Physiotherapy outpatient departments. SUBJECTS: Four samples with 476 consecutive adult patients with neck pain from four physiotherapy centres. METHODS: The original questionnaire was translated into Chinese by forward and backward translation and reviewed by a panel of experts. The subjects completed the Chinese version of the fear-avoidance questionnaire, Northwick Park Neck Pain Questionnaire, Medical Outcomes 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey and their pain intensity was measured using an 11-point pain numerical rating scale. They were observed and measured at the beginning of physiotherapy, at week 3 and at week 6 after treatment began. RESULTS: The questionnaire had very good content validity and test-retest reliability with an intraclass correlation coefficient of 0.81 and Cronbach's alpha coefficient of 0.90. Spearman's correlation coefficients between fear-avoidance and the neck pain questionnaire, the health survey (physical), health survey (mental) and pain scale were 0.56, 0.45, 0.36 and 0.34, respectively. The standard response mean and effect size at week 6 were 0.38 and 0.32, respectively. Factor analysis yielded three factors which accounted for 61.6% of the total variance of the questionnaire. CONCLUSION: The Fear-Avoidance Beliefs Questionnaire is a valid and reliable tool for patients with neck pain. It has been shown to demonstrate very good content validity, a high degree of test-retest reliability and internal consistency, good construct validity and medium responsiveness.     

Development and psychometric evaluation of supportive leadership scales.

The purpose of this study was to develop and evaluate the psychometric properties of 2 supportive leadership scales, the Charge Nurse Support Scale and the Unit Manager Support Scale, designed for long-term-care environments. These 6-item self-report scales were administered to 70 nursing staff and their internal consistency reliability, test-retest reliability, content validity, factor structure, and construct validity investigated. Content validity was established with the assistance of experts. Both scales were deemed reliable. As hypothesized, a significant relationship was found between the measure of how nursing staff related to residents and measures of charge nurses' supportive behaviours (r = .42, p = .05). Reliable and valid measures of supportive leadership could be developed for use in identifying the quality of support provided to staff in long-term-care environments.     

Test-retest reliability, internal item consistency, and concurrent validity of the wheelchair seating discomfort assessment tool

Discomfort is a common problem for wheelchair users. Few researchers have investigated discomfort among wheelchair users or potential solutions for this problem. One of the impediments to quantitative research on wheelchair seating discomfort has been the lack of a reliable method for quantifying seat discomfort. The purpose of this study was to establish the test-retest reliability, internal item consistency, and concurrent validity of a newly developed Wheelchair Seating Discomfort Assessment Tool (WcS-DAT). Thirty full-time, active wheelchair users with intact sensation were asked to use this and other tools in order to rate their levels of discomfort in a test-retest reliability study format. Data from these measures were analyzed in SPSS using an intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) model (2,k) to measure the test-retest reliability. Cronbach's alpha was used to examine the internal consistency of the items within the WcS-DAT. Concurrent validity with similar measures was analyzed using Pearson product-moment correlations. ICC scores for all analyses were above the established lower bound of .80, indicating a highly stable and reliable tool. In addition, alpha scores indicated good consistency of all items without redundancy. Finally, correlations with similar tools, such as the Chair Evaluation Checklist and the Short Form of the McGill Pain Questionnaire, were significant at the .05 level, and many were significant at the .001 level. These results support the use of the WcS-DAT as a reliable and stable tool for quantifying wheelchair seating discomfort. Its application will enhance the ability to assess and to research this important problem and will provide a means to validate the outcomes of specialized seating interventions for the study population of wheelchairs users.     

North Staffordshire Headache Survey: development,reliability and validity of a questionnaire for use in a general population survey

The North Staffordshire Headache Survey aims to measure the effect and impact of headaches, medicine use and healthcare utilization in a general population sample. A self-reporting questionnaire was piloted in a general population sample, with reliability being tested in a sample of pilot responders after one month and validity by comparing pilot responders with primary and secondary care headache consulters. One hundred and twenty-two (61%) responded to the pilot survey, with 56% of items having completion rates of 90% or more, and tests showed good internal consistency (>90%). One-month test-retest data showed good agreement, though questions relating to specific time periods (with partial or no overlap between survey periods) showed expected lower agreement. The headache consulters reported greater frequency, duration and severity of headaches than the population sample suggesting good construct validity. Results from these studies indicate that the questionnaire is a reliable and valid instrument to collect data about headaches in the general population.     

Validity and reliability study of the Turkish version of Health Belief Model Scale in diabetic patients

BACKGROUND: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is an important health problem that leads to severe complications, is the cause of early death, and is showing an increase in frequency. The development of positive health behaviors is extremely important in the treatment of diabetic patients. There are various models that examine the health behaviors of individuals. One of these is the Health Belief Model. This model is very beneficial in explaining factors that affect patients' compliance with their disease. PURPOSE: This research was planned to measure the validity and reliability of the Health Belief Model Scale in diabetic patients in the Turkish population. DESIGN: Questionnaire Survey. SETTINGS: The research population was all of the diabetic patients (4,125) registered with the Turkish Diabetes Society, Denizli Province, Turkey. PARTICIPANTS: A convenience sample was composed of 352 patients with Type 2 DM. METHODS: The research data were collected with three tools, a "sociodemographic data form" related to the diabetic patients, the "Health Belief Model Scale in Diabetic Patients," and the "Diabetes Management Self-Efficacy Scale."For validity studies: language validity, content validity, concurrent validity and construct validity were examined. For reliability studies: the tool's internal consistency reliability, Cronbach alpha reliability coefficient, test-retest reliability were examined. RESULTS: The tool's internal consistency reliability subscales' Cronbach alpha coefficient values ranged from 0.73 to 0.86. For the total tool a Cronbach alpha value of 0.89 was found. In the tool's internal consistency reliability total item correlation the three items that were below 0.30 were removed and the 36 items were reduced to 33 items. The tool's test-retest reliability was 0.90. According to factor analysis the tool contains five subscales of perceived susceptibility, perceived severity, perceived benefits, perceived barriers and recommended healthy behaviors. CONCLUSION: The Health Belief Model Scale in diabetic patients was determined to be valid and reliable for use in the Turkish population.