Development of Health Assessment Tool for Middle-aged Adults in Long-term Care Settings / 재활간호학회지

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: This was a methodological study to develop a valid and reliable health assessment tool for middle-aged adults in long-term care settings (HATMAL). METHODS: At the first stage of this study, initial 56-items HATMAL were derived via literature review, survey for needs assessment, and focus group interviews with experts. At the second stage, 54 items HATMAL were finalized via content validity test with 5 experts and a pilot study with 30 nurses. At the third stage, validity and reliability tests were conducted with 100 middle-aged patients in a long-term care hospital. Data were analyzed by factor analysis using SPSS 18.0 program. RESULTS: Exploratory factor analysis resulted in 3 factors; functional assessment, symptom assessment, and comfort assessment. These 3 factors explained 83.8% of total variance and construct validity was confirmed. Test-retest reliability was .67 for appetite changes, .76 for regulating for behavior problems, and 1.0 for other items. CONCLUSION: Results indicate that HATMAL is valid and reliable to assess the health for middle-aged patients in long-term care settings. This study would contribute to provide more effective personalized treatment and care for middle-aged patients in long-term care settings considering their own characteristics.