Development and psychometric evaluation of the Perioperative Comfort Scale

Abstract

AimTo develop and psychometrically test the Perioperative Comfort Scale (PCS). BackgroundComfort is one of the main criteria with regard to patient management in the perioperative area, as it can increase the level of patient satisfaction and the quality of nursing care. Nursing interventions for comfort are designed to be measured in the pre- and post-anaesthetic phases. A new measure of comfort available for the pre, intra, and postoperative phases in the perioperative context, can help in its continuous assessment. DesignThe present methodological study, guided by Kolcaba's theory of comfort, carried out the development and psychometric testing of the validity and reliability of the PCS. MethodsThe formulation of items was based on a literature review, and an expert panel analysed the content validity. The instrument was structured according to the taxonomic structure proposed by Kolcaba's theory. The experimental version was tested on a sample of 400 surgical and non-surgical patients between April and September 2015. ResultsFactor analysis and reliability analysis resulted in a final 15-item version, and revealed three different components (relief, ease, and transcendence) that confirm the conceptual basis of the instrument. Discriminant validity was demonstrated for surgical and non-surgical patients. Satisfactory internal consistency reliability (alpha=0.83) of the scale and its components (ease, alpha=0.78; relief, alpha=0.73; transcendence, alpha=0.70) was found. ConclusionThe PCS is a psychometrically reliable and valid measure of comfort for use in the entire perioperative context. Using it in the intraoperative setting would enable the continuous evaluation of perioperative comfort.