Validation of a Checklist for Responsible Hospital Discharge in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

Abstract

Objective: to create and validate a checklist for responsible hospital discharge processes in a neonatal intensive care unit. Method: a methodological study conducted from March to June 2022, in four phases: 1) Selection of topics relevant to the health of newborns discharged from the intensive care unit; 2) Elaboration of the first version of the checklist; 3) Content validation with expert judges by applying the Content Validity Index (CVI), accepting values > 0.8 per item; and 4) Correction and reformulation of the final version. The assessment instrument was structured by means of a Likert-type scale. The validation process was performed in electronic and printed means by approaching the evaluators within the neonatal unit, totaling 16 participants. Descriptive statistics was used for data analysis. Results: the checklist was validated with an overall Content Validity Index of 0.87. Analyzing the items individually, the following Content Validity Index values were found: 0.92 in the objectives, 0.89 for language, 0.84 for the content, 0.79 for relevance, 0.90 for layout, 0.94 for motivation and 0.88 for culture. Conclusion: the checklist presented favorable Content Validity Index values in the vast majority of the evaluation criteria, with the exception of relevance. However, it is noted that it can be implemented and tends to contribute to a responsible discharge process.