Validity and reliability of a bone marrow transplant acuity tool

Area of Science:

• Oncology Nursing
• Healthcare Informatics
• Patient Assessment Tools

Background:

• Existing patient acuity tools do not specifically address the unique needs of bone marrow transplant (BMT) patients.
• A gap exists in validated instruments for assessing BMT patient acuity.
• Standardized assessment is crucial for optimizing care in complex BMT populations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a reliable patient acuity tool tailored for individuals undergoing bone marrow transplant (BMT).
• To establish a nursing-diagnosis-based acuity system for BMT patient management.
• To provide a foundation for an integrated patient acuity system within BMT care.

Main Methods:

• A four-level, nursing-diagnosis-based acuity tool was created with multiple indicators.
• Content Validity Index (CVI) was assessed by a panel of content experts.
• Interrater reliability was evaluated using two independent raters on 79 BMT patients.

Main Results:

• The developed tool achieved a high overall Content Validity Index (CVI) of 0.93.
• Individual indicator CVIs ranged from 0.4 to 1.0, indicating strong expert agreement.
• High interrater reliability (r = 0.94, p < 0.001) was observed, supporting tool consistency.

Conclusions:

• The study provides robust evidence for the validity and reliability of the new BMT patient acuity tool.
• The tool is recommended for use in clinical practice to enhance patient assessment.
• Further research is warranted to explore the tool's broader impact and refine its application.