ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Patients' dependency has significant nursing implications. Nurse skill mix and staffing levels may be addressed more successfully when dependency can be measured. In the oncology emergency room, a valid and reliable tool that measures patients' dependency on nursing care is necessary. AIM: This study aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Jones Dependency Tool in Adult Oncology Emergency Setting at a Cancer Center in Jordan. METHODS: A prospective cross-sectional design was used to test the Reliability and Validity of the Jones Dependency Tool among patients with cancer visiting the ED. A sample of 79 patients were assessed using the JDT and Conner's tool. RESULTS: Jones Dependency Tool showed a high level of validity and reliability. In terms of reliability, which was tested by test-re-test, Intra-class correlation (ICC) = 0.902 which indicates good to excellent. The tool demonstrates a high validity evidenced by its correlation with a criterion (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The study demonstrated that the JDT tool is a valid and reliable tool that can be used to quantify a patient's dependency level and the level of nursing care they need, assisting in the selection of the ideal staffing level in terms of quantity and skill mix.
