Developing an instrument measuring nurses' knowledge regarding quality of life assessment in palliative care

Background Palliative Care (PC) nurses play an important role with patients in advance disease trajectory. Measurement of Quality of Life (QoL) of patients with PC needs is crucial to understand patients’ needs, their... [ view full abstract ]

Background
Palliative Care (PC) nurses play an important role with patients in advance disease trajectory.
Measurement of Quality of Life (QoL) of patients with PC needs is crucial to understand patients’ needs, their experiences, and effectiveness of interventions.
PC nurses have a key role in patient-oriented outcomes measurement. Nurses’ knowledge regarding QoL in PC has not been widely tested yet.

Aim and objectives of the study
The objective of this study was to develop a questionnaire aimed at assessing nurses’ knowledge on QoL in PC and to evaluate its content validity.

Methods
Research design: Cross-sectional validation study
Sample: An academic group made of 4 experts in PC has been preliminary set up with the aim of generating questionnaire’s items; the Nursing Role Effectiveness Model was used to guide the development of the questionnaire. Sources used for item generation includes a comprehensive review of the published literature.
Analysis: Items were selected and assembled according to Dillman’s techniques for questionnaire construction. Content validity was assessed systematically and quantified according to the process described by Lynn using a ten-member international expert judge panel and content validity index and content validity ratio were examined.
Ethical Approval: This formed part of a larger study, which received ethical approval from the Liguria Regional Ethics Committee


Findings
Item generation phase is concluded and the Nurse’s Knowledge about QoL Assessment in PC questionnaire consists of 25 items. Content validity phase is in progress and the 10 international experts invited all accepted to score the items for their relevance.

Conclusion and Implications
PC nurses are instrumental to incorporate outcome measurement in PC on condition that professionals’ knowledge were preliminary assessed to address identified nurses’ knowledge deficit.