Validity and reliability of Korean version of the nursing staff preparedness for palliative and end-of-life care in long-term care homes: A methodological study

Abstract

Purpose: Globally, the issue of palliative and end-of-life care (PEOLC) in nursing homes is a common concern, and the need to measure the preparedness of nursing staff for end-of-life care is increasing. This study aimed to verify the validity and reliability of the Korean version of the self-reported scale for the Staff Preparedness for PEOLC in long-term care homes. Methods: A total of 161 staff took part in the study; among them were nine nurses, 19 nursing assistants, 133 care workers at four nursing homes located in Wonju and Suncheon cities, South Korea. The scale was translated according to the guidelines of World Health Organization guidelines and Consensus-Based Standards for the Selection of Health Measurement Instruments, and its reliability and validity were evaluated through assessing its internal consistency, stability, and construct validity (confirmatory factor analysis, CFA). Results: CFA confirmed that the measurement tool had a good fit (comparative fit index=.96, Turker-Lewis index=.95, root mean-squared error of approximation=.07). The items’ internal consistencies of the items were found to be reliable with Cronbach’s alpha=.94; the Pearson’s correlation coefficient between test and retest of the tool was .86 (p<.001); and the intraclass correlation coefficient value was .91 (95% confidence interval: .85~.96). Conclusion: The Korean version of the Staff Preparedness for PEOLC in long-term care homes was confirmed to be a useful and reliable scale for measuring the preparedness of nursing staff in Korean long-term care facilities in Korea for PEOLC.