Issues in revising research instruments for use with Southern populations

Area of Science:

• Nursing research
• Cultural competence in healthcare
• Health disparities

Background:

• Nurses require culturally sensitive instruments to understand patient perspectives on health and illness.
• Existing instruments often lack adaptation for diverse English-speaking American sub-cultures.
• Understanding cultural beliefs is crucial for effective patient care, especially in oncology.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a process for revising instruments to assess beliefs about managing cancer treatment uncertainty.
• To capture the perspectives of Southern White and African-American men and women.
• To address the gap in cultural knowledge between researchers and study populations.

Main Methods:

• Instrument revision process.
• Focus on beliefs regarding cancer treatment uncertainty.
• Inclusion of Southern White and African-American participants.

Main Results:

• A revised instrument was developed to capture cultural beliefs about managing cancer treatment uncertainty.
• Exploration of bridging cultural knowledge gaps between researchers and participants.
• Consideration of instrument reliability and construct validity.

Conclusions:

• Adapting instruments is essential for understanding diverse cultural perspectives in healthcare.
• The presented process facilitates culturally sensitive data collection in cancer care.
• Further research is needed to ensure reliability and validity across different populations.