Development of an instrument to evaluate the occupational performance of children and adolescents with heart disease in tertiary care

Abstract

Advancements in medicine and surgery have increased the survival of pediatric patients with heart disease, with evidence of neurobehavioral sequelae. Objective: This study aimed to develop an instrument to investigate the occupational performance of children and adolescents with heart disease in tertiary care. Method: This quantitative methodological study for data treatment and analysis was conducted in two phases: instrument development and content validation. This study included an integrative review and semantic and content analyses. The instrument used had three versions: infant, preschool/school, and adolescent. The Delphi technique was used in semantic analysis by consensus of two groups of evaluators and in content analysis by consensus of seven experts. Results/final considerations: The integrative review included 1,765 articles, with 24 articles selected after title and abstract reading and 12 articles included after full reading. The semantic and content analyses were divided into two and four rounds, respectively. Once the occupational performance instrument was verified, future steps must be taken to confirm its reliability and validity. In conclusion, occupational therapy has gained increasing interest in pediatric cardiology.