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Updated: Mar 22, 2026
Assessment and Evaluation of the High Risk Neonate: The NICU Network Neurobehavioral Scale
Published on: August 25, 2014
Validity and reliability of the Neonatal Discharge Assessment Tool
Burcu Aykanat Girgin1, Güler Cimete1
1Burcu Aykanat Girgin, MSc, is a Lecturer in Pediatric Nursing at Çankırı Karatekin University School of Health, Çankırı, Turkey, and Güler Cimete, PhD, is a Professor in Pediatric Nursing at Eastern Mediterranean University, Faculty of Health Sciences, Famagusta, North Cyprus.
Insights
The Neonatal Discharge Assessment Tool (N-DAT) reliably and validly identifies high-risk preterm infants and parents needing extra support before discharge. This tool aids nurses in ensuring families have necessary resources for a safe transition home.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal care
- Pediatric nursing
- Health assessment tools
Background:
- Preterm infants face unique discharge challenges.
- Assessing parental readiness is crucial for successful home transition.
- A validated tool is needed to identify at-risk families.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the reliability and validity of the Neonatal Discharge Assessment Tool (N-DAT).
- To assess risks for preterm infants and parents regarding home discharge readiness.
Main Methods:
- Psychometric analysis of the N-DAT.
- Included content validity, internal consistency reliability, and construct validity.
- Sample: 238 high-risk preterm infants (24-37 weeks gestation) and their parents.
Main Results:
- N-DAT demonstrated strong content validity (CVI=.98) and internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha=.94).
- High N-DAT scores correlated with higher discharge risk.
- Infants born <31 weeks and rehospitalized infants had higher scores, as did mothers reporting infant care problems.
Conclusions:
- The N-DAT is a reliable and valid instrument for assessing discharge risks in preterm infants.
- It empowers nurses to provide targeted education and resources.
- Facilitates safer home transitions for vulnerable infants and their families.
Purpose:
To investigate the reliability and validity of the Neonatal Discharge Assessment Tool (N-DAT) designed to assess risk factors related to infants' and parents' readiness for discharge to home.
Design And Methods:
The sample was composed of 238 high-risk preterm infants, born at gestational age of 24 to 37 weeks, and their parents. High scores on the N-DAT indicated higher risk for discharge of preterm infants and their parents. Psychometric analyses of the N-DAT included content validity, internal consistency reliability, and construct validity.
Results:
Content validity of the N-DAT items was supported by experts (content validity index = .98). Internal consistency reliability was supported by a Cronbach's alpha for the total instrument of .94. N-DAT total and subscale score correlations ranged from .42 to .89. Known-groups analysis indicated that infants born at <31 weeks' gestation and infants who were rehospitalized during 8 weeks after discharge had significantly higher N-DAT total and subscale scores than infants born at ≥31 weeks or not rehospitalized. Also, mothers who reported experiencing problems with infant care at home had significantly higher N-DAT Competencies subscale scores than mothers who did not report problems.
Practice Implications:
The N-DAT is a reliable and valid instrument to evaluate the risks related to discharge of preterm infants so that nurses can provide parents with the necessary knowledge, skills, and resources they need prior to discharge.
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