Content validity of the developmental care scale for neonates with CHD

Area of Science:

• Neonatal Nursing
• Pediatric Cardiology
• Developmental Psychology

Background:

• Neuroprotective developmental care is crucial for neonates with congenital heart disease (CHD).
• Existing developmental care scales lack psychometric validation or are not tailored for CHD neonates.
• A validated scale is needed to guide bedside nurses in providing optimal care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the item development and content validity testing of a novel developmental care scale for neonates with CHD.
• To assess the scale's five domains: sleep, pain/stress management, activities of daily living, family-centered care, and environment.
• To establish a psychometrically sound tool for bedside nurses in the cardiac intensive care unit.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional study utilizing clinical expertise and core developmental care measures for item generation.
• Seven experts rated item relevance and fit for the total scale and subscales.
• Content Validity Index (CVI) determined item retention; expert feedback guided revisions and additions.

Main Results:

• Content validity was established for 24 of 53 initial items across the five domains.
• 24 items were deleted, while 5 low-rated items were retained and revised due to conceptual importance.
• 11 new items were added based on expert qualitative feedback, enhancing the scale's comprehensiveness.

Conclusions:

• The study provides initial evidence of content validity for the developmental care scale for neonates with CHD.
• The scale was developed and refined with input from researchers and bedside nurses.
• Further psychometric testing is required to confirm reliability and validity and explore influencing factors.