Content validity of the Distress Thermometer for parents. assessed by health care professionals within the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

Abstract

Abstract Background: In the Netherlands, 11.210 live born infants were delivered prematurely (before 37 weeks gestational age) in 2017. of which 15% were admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Premature delivery is stressful for parents, thus. monitoring parents at the NICU is essential for timely detection of psychosocial problems. The Distress Thermometer for Parents (DT-P) was developed to assess psychosocial functioning for parents with a chronically sick child. In order effectively to use the DT-P for parents of neonates at NICUs content validation is necessary. Aim: The current study investigates content validity on relevancy and comprehensiveness of the DT-P from the perspective of NICU healthcare professionals. Methods: A cross-sectional, descriptive, and prospective study was conducted. A survey was used to assess 42 DT-P items on relevance and comprehensiveness by NICU healthcare professionals in the Netherlands. The Content Validity Index (CVI) and the average of proportion items (S-CVI/Ave) of each DT-P item was measured by a 4-point Likert scale. Results: Of the 70 survey’s, 51 were retrieved completed. Thirty items(71.4%) related to relevance met the ‘excellent’ criteria, with scores above 0.779 (range 0.78-0.96). The S-CVI/Ave’s concerning relevance were 0.81 and 0.79. Regarding the content validity of comprehensiveness, merely 23 of 42 items (55%) scored excellent (range 0.78-0.92). and both S-CVI/Ave’s amounted to 0.77. Conclusion: The DT-P’s content validity was assessed on relevance by healthcare professionals from Dutch NICU wards. With the results of current quantitative research, content validity appears to have been achieved on relevance but not on comprehensiveness. Implications of key findings: This analysis is a first step in identifying healthcare professionals’ perspectives towards the use of the DT-P as a fast screening instrument. Additional qualitative research is essential to capture in-depth meaning towards given ratings.