Adaptation of the parent readiness for hospital discharge scale with mothers of preterm infants discharged from the neonatal intensive care unit.

Abstract

To evaluate the psychometric properties of a new Persian translation of the Readiness for Hospital Discharge Scale. Globally, one in 10 newborns are born preterm and many require care in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). A primary role of NICU nurses is to assure parents are well prepared to take their newborns home from the hospital. Assessment of parent perception of discharge readiness provides important input into discharge decisions. The availability of reliable and valid instruments tested within the geographical and cultural context is needed for a comprehensive assessment of predischarge readiness, so that parent needs can be identified and the necessary interventions designed and implemented. This psychometrics study included a convenience sample of 200 mothers with preterm infants being discharged from the NICU of Shahid Sadoughi Hospital in Yazd, Iran. The original 29-item version of the Readiness for Hospital Discharge Scale-Parent questionnaire was translated into Persian using the standard forward-backward method. Face, content and construct validity (principal components analysis), and reliability (internal consistency-Cronbach's alpha) were assessed. Methods followed STROBE criteria as applicable (see Appendix S1). The content validity index and content validity ratio were both 0.93. Construct validity testing identified6 factors (mother and infant physical-psychological readiness, expected support, knowledge of future events and care, knowledge of infant personal care, pain and therapeutic interventions). Using Cronbach's alpha coefficient, the reliability of the whole instrument was estimated to be 0.87. The Persian Readiness for Hospital Discharge-Parental Form for use with mothers of preterm infants being discharged from an Iranian NICU has acceptable validity and reliability. This tool can be used before discharge to determine the needs of mothers and design the necessary measures to improve quality of discharge care.