Development of the ward nurses' discharge-oriented dietary support scale for older adult patients in Japan

This study aimed to develop a ward nurses' dietary support scale, including physical, psychological, and social background factors in preparation for older adult patients' life after discharge.

We conducted a cross-sectional study using a self-reported questionnaire. Scale items were created based on a conceptual analysis, and refined by a Delphi survey. In total, 696 nurses across 16 acute care hospitals in Japan were eligible to participate. The questionnaire comprised 51 items that used a five-point Likert-type scale. These items were evaluated using exploratory factor analysis. Reliability was evaluated using Cronbach's alpha and intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC). Pearson's correlation coefficients were calculated to determine concurrent validity, and construct validity was analyzed using confirmatory factor analysis.

Altogether, 241 surveys were included in the data analysis; 236 nurses participated in both the test and the retest. The exploratory factor analysis identified 20 items from three factors as follows: "Assessment for healthy eating behavior," "Adjustment of the living environment, including family and caregiver, together with other professions," and "Continual frailty assessment." In the confirmatory factor analysis, the fitness indices supported these results. Cronbach's alpha was 0.932 and ICC was 0.867 for the overall scale. In the concurrent validity, the three factors had a moderate correlation (r = 0.295-0.537, P < .01 and r = 0.254-0.648, P < .01), except for one subscale.

We developed a ward nurses' dietary support scale, including physical, psychological, and social background factors in preparation for older adult patients' life after discharge. Its reliability and validity were confirmed.