Paper
Saturday, 22 July 2006
This presentation is part of : Research Strategies and Instruments
Validating a Research Tool: An Exemplar of the Older Patients in Acute Care Survey (OPACS) from Australia to the United States
Christine Malmgreen, MA, RN-BC, CHES1, Lillie M. Shortridge-Baggett, RN, EdD, FAAN, FNAP2, Mary Courtney, PhD3, Anne M. Walsh, MHSc3, and Paula L. Graham, MS, RN4. (1) Nursing administration, HUdson Valley Hospital Center, Cortlandt Manor, NY, USA, (2) Center for Nursing Research, Clinical Practice, and International Affairs, Pace University, Pleasantville, NY, USA, (3) School of Nursing, Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia, (4) Hospital Information Systems, Phelps Memorial Hospital Center, Sleepy Hollow, NY, USA
Learning Objective #1: •list the steps involved in validating a research tool when transferred from one country to another.
Learning Objective #2: •articulate evidence-based criteria for educational programs to enhance care of the older adult in acute care.
Geriatric competency in acute care is a 21st century mandate. The feasibility of using an Australian instrument developed by Courtney, Tong, and Walsh to examine  attitudes, knowledge and practices of nurses working with acute care patients in the United States was explored using a systematic approach to appraise validity. 

This study was designed to assess the psychometric properties of the Older Patients in Acute Care Survey (OPACS) for its use with a US population.  The process began with securing the tool from these Australian researchers, having it reviewed by focus groups of practicing nurses and then re-evaluated by a panel of experts in geriatric practice in the US to establish content validity.  The next step was to assess reliability by administering the survey to nurses working in an acute care setting with elderly (65 or older) patients.  Statistical analysis revealed an initial Cronbach’s alpha for two new scales developed by the Australian researchers were Practice Experience 0.888; General Opinion/Knowledge 0.904. Further tool refinement continues at another facility.  On-going communication with the original researchers enriches the process. This study has a number of important outcomes.  It provides information on the underlying survey instrument addressing such issues as format, clarity, instructions, administration and the validity of the practice, knowledge and opinion domains of nurses practicing in acute care.  In addition, this study will provide a contribution to the emerging need for targeted educational programs as the elderly patient population in acute care settings grows world wide.  These surveys will function as important pre-test/post-test tools to assess the effectiveness of training programs for nurses and other health care workers who will have on-going needs to augment geriatric competency.

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See more of The 17th International Nursing Research Congress Focusing on Evidence-Based Practice (19-22 July 2006)