Study of the reliability and validity of the Community Health Intensity Rating Scale (CHIRS) in the Turkish community

The purpose of this study was to examine the reliability and validity of the Community Health Intensity Rating Scale (CHIRS) that was translated into the Turkish language and applied in the Turkish community. The CHIRS is a tool that assesses the intensity of need for care of persons/families in the community. The original version of the tool was translated into Turkish, examined for face validity and language appropriateness by the Turkish experts, and then applied to 372 families living in Odemis, Turkey. Significant correlations were found between total scale score (TSS) and total number of household members, and between the TSS and the total number of visits to any health institution within the previous month. In addition, the self-health care needs evaluation scores supported predictive validity. For reliability, min-max values, standard errors and deviations, skewness, and kurtosis coefficients of parameter scores, domain scores, and TSS were examined. The mean TSS was 26.7 (+/- 5.32) and the mean age of the participants was 35.0 years. For internal consistency, Cronbach's alpha (.525) and Guttman split-half coefficient (.629) values were established for the TSS. In conclusion, the reliability and validity of the Turkish version of CHIRS have been established.