Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 1, 2025
Assessment of Spatial Lingual Tactile Sensitivity using a Gratings Orientation Test
Published on: September 17, 2021
Development of the Thirst Discomfort Scale: A Validity and Reliability Study
Bahar Çiftçi1, Güzel Nur Yıldız2, Gülçin Avşar3
1Bahar Çiftçi is an assistant professor, Department of Fundamentals of Nursing, Atatürk University, Atateknokent, Erzurum, Turkey.
Background:
Thirst is a sensation associated with a dry mouth and the desire or craving to drink water. Surgical patients are among those hospitalized individuals who are at high risk of developing both osmotic and hypovolemic thirst.
Objectives:
To develop a new measurement tool for evaluating the thirst-related discomfort of surgical patients and to assess its validity and reliability.
Methods:
The study population consisted of patients admitted to the surgical clinics of a research hospital in Turkey between January and March 2022. The new measurement tool was developed in several stages: a pilot implementation phase with 51 patients and the main implementation phase with 198 patients. Data were collected by means of face-to-face interviews with patients. Exploratory factor and confirmatory factor analyses were performed using IBM SPSS Statistics, version 22, and IBM SPSS Amos.
Results:
The final Thirst Discomfort Scale consisted of 12 items in 3 subdimensions. The Cronbach α values of the scale subdimensions ranged from 0.787 to 0.848, and the Cronbach α value for the scale as a whole was 0.886. The scale explained 66.237% of the total variance of the data.
Conclusion:
The Thirst Discomfort Scale consisting of 12 items and 3 subdimensions is a valid and reliable measurement tool for evaluating thirst-related discomfort of surgical patients.
Related Concept Videos
02:45Self-Discrepancy Theory
01:17Assessment of the Gastrointestinal System I: Subjective Data
Health History
The initial step in assessing the GI system is obtaining a comprehensive health history. This includes inquiring about the patient's history or presence of problems...
01:25Primary Motives: Hunger and Thirst
Hunger arises when the brain detects changes in the body's nutrient levels, including glucose, lipids, amino acids, and hormones such as ghrelin and leptin. The hypothalamus plays a central role in hunger regulation. The lateral hypothalamus...
01:29Assessment of the Gastrointestinal System II: Health Perception Pattern
Health Perception Patterns
Health perception patterns offer valuable insights into a patient's lifestyle habits and how they may impact their GI health. These patterns include:
01:25Regulation of Water Intake