Healthcare needs scales for patients with HIV/AIDS: construct validation

Area of Science:

• Psychometric instrument development
• Healthcare needs assessment
• Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS) patient care

Background:

• The Healthcare Needs Scales for Patients with HIV/AIDS (HIV/AIDS) were developed to address the need for a validated tool to assess patient requirements.
• Previous assessments may not have comprehensively captured the multifaceted needs of individuals living with HIV/AIDS across various care settings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To report on the quantitative analysis phase in the development of the Healthcare Needs Scales for Patients with HIV/AIDS.
• To establish the validity and reliability of the developed scales for assessing patient needs.

Main Methods:

• Quantitative analysis of a cross-sectional sample of 386 patients with HIV/AIDS from diverse healthcare settings (hospital, outpatient clinic, homecare, long-term care).
• Construct validity was assessed using factor analysis and item/subscale/scale analyses.
• Concurrent validity was examined using primary caretakers as proxies for hospital patients.
• Internal consistency reliability was evaluated.

Main Results:

• The quantitative analysis yielded evidence for the construct validity and internal consistency reliability of the Healthcare Needs Scales.
• Concurrent validity was supported through proxy assessments.
• The results confirmed the scales' suitability for diagnosing patient needs.

Conclusions:

• The developed Healthcare Needs Scales for Patients with HIV/AIDS are a psychometrically sound instrument.
• The scales can reliably and validly diagnose the psychosocial and physiological needs of patients with HIV/AIDS.
• This tool supports improved care planning and intervention for the target population.