An international survey of Psychiatric‐Mental‐Health Nurses on the content validity of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health Core Sets for Schizophrenia

Abstract

The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) Core Sets for schizophrenia describe the key problems in functioning that are experienced by individuals with this disorder. This study examines the content validity of these Core Sets and aims to identify the most frequent problems faced by people with schizophrenia, considering for this analysis the perspective of Psychiatric-Mental-Health Nurses. The study complied with the COREQ checklist for qualitative studies. A total of 101 nurses from 30 countries covering all six World Health Organization regions participated in a Delphi study. Their responses in Round 1 were linked to ICF categories, retaining those reported by at least 5% of participants. In Round 2, they were asked to rate the relevance of each of these categories to the nursing care of patients with schizophrenia. This process was repeated in Round 3. A total of 2327 concepts were extracted in Round 1 and linked to ICF categories. Following the analysis, 125 categories and 31 personal factors were presented to the experts in rounds 2 and 3. Consensus (defined as agreement ≥75%) was reached for 97 of these categories and 29 personal factors. These categories corresponded to all those (N = 25) in the Brief Core Set and 87 of the 97 categories of the bs_bs_banner Comprehensive Core Set for schizophrenia. Ten new categories emerged. The Delphi process identified the problems in functioning that nurses encounter when treating individuals with schizophrenia, and the results supported the content validity of the Core Sets. We conclude that these Core Sets offer a comprehensive framework for structuring clinical information and guiding the treatment process.

A Mixed Methods Approach for Studying Relevant Areas of Functioning in Schizophrenia

“…Likewise, regardless of the perspective considered, it has been reported that there are certain sections of the ICF in which hardly any categories have been included, as is the case of body structures (Nuño et al, 2019). This can be attributed to the fact that we are facing a mental illness, with a predominance of behavioral disorders.…”

Functioning Problems in Persons with Schizophrenia in the Russian Context

“…This is because previous research on the content validity of the ICF-CS with different professionals (nurses, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, psychiatrists, psychologists, and social workers) has shown that the difference in perspective between health professionals means that some ICF-CS categories for schizophrenia may be more relevant than others for a given health professional, although the way of assessing functionality is the same. [ 44 , 45 , 46 , 47 , 48 , 49 ].…”

An Integrated Account of Expert Perspectives on Functioning in Schizophrenia

“…The six Delphi studies were conducted between 2016 and 2018. All studies followed the same design to ensure a high level of comparability between the results of each, and it has been detailed in the previous studies which describe the results obtained from each perspective: psychiatry [27], psychology [28], nursing [29], occupational therapy [30], social work [31] and physiotherapy [32]. Anonymity was guaranteed as the process was coordinated by a research team using an online platform or email, thus avoiding any interaction between the participants.…”