HOME HEALTH CARE: RELIABILITY AND VALIDITY TESTING OF A PATIENT CLASSIFICATION INSTRUMENT.
Contributors: University Of Illinois At Chicago, Health Sciences Center.
Published: 1988
Number of pages: 132
Subjects: Health Sciences, Nursing.
Description: The purpose of this study was to (1) assess the reliability and validity of the Easley-Storfjell (ES) patient classification instrument, and (2) to examine whether an existing instrument was useful in a large hospital based home care (HBHC) setting.

This was a descriptive methodological correlation study in one clinical facility. A random sample of 30 patient charts was selected from a midwestern Veterans Administration HBHC using a random numbers table. The interrater reliability was established by four nurse raters. Therefore, the sample consisted of 30 patient charts rated independently by four nurse raters for a total sample of 120 ratings. A pilot study was conducted to identify descriptors from the patients chart that directs the raters classifications into a particular category of the ES instrument. The raters collected the data using the assessment visit from each of the randomly selected charts. The Katz ADL instrument was used as a correlate with the physical care variable of the ES instrument to determine concurrent validity.

To provide a further check on the reliability and to guard against observer drift, intrarater reliability was determined for each rater on a random sampling basis of six previously rated charts. The results demonstrated high intrarater reliability.

Nonparametric bivariate correlational analysis was used since the data was on the ordinal scale. The results demonstrated that the ES instrument was both reliable and valid at a moderately significant level. There was also a significant agreement between the overall ES category rating and rater frequency of home visits. Although the strength of these relationships were not strong, the results of this study has implications for home health care agencies providing care to chronically ill patients.
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 49-11, Section: B, page: 4752.

Thesis (PH.D.)--UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT CHICAGO, HEALTH SCIENCES CENTER, 1988.

School code: 0806.