Intra-rater reliability and feasibility of the HexCom advanced disease complexity assessment model

Abstract

AimTo study the intra-rater reliability and feasibility of the HexCom complexity assessment model by analyzing internal consistency, intra-rater reliability and response time. DesignTest–retest study with a selection of 11 clinical situations that cover the full scope of situations assessed by the HexCom model and which are responded to individually. LocationHome care, primary care, hospital and sociosanitary care. Two specialized palliative home care teams (PADES). ParticipantsA total of 20 professionals comprising 10 experts in palliative home care (PADES) and 10 professionals from general palliative care (primary care, hospital and sociosanitary care). These professionals came from the fields of family medicine (5), internal medicine (2), geriatrics (2), nursing (9), psychology (1) and social work (1). Main measurementsCronbach's alpha, weighted kappa, response time. ResultsCronbach's alpha of 0.91 for HexCom-Red and 0.87 for HexCom-Clin. Intra-rater reliability ranging from good to very good for HexCom-Red (kappa: 0.78–1) and from moderate to very good for HexCom-Clin (kappa: 0.58–0.91). Average response time of 0:57 for HexCom-Red and 3:80min for HexComClin. ConclusionsHexCom-Red and HexCom-Clin are reliable tools and feasible for use by all professionals involved in both general and specialized palliative care at different levels.