Compassionate communication in acute healthcare: establishing the face and content validity of a questionnaire. (March 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: McElroy, Claire; Esterhuizen, Philip
• Is Part Of: Journal of research in nursing. Volume 22:Number 1/2(2017)
• Page Start: 72
• Page End: 88
• Publication Date: 2017-03
• Subjects: compassion -- compassionate communication -- content validity -- face validity -- non-verbal communication -- questionnaire; Nursing -- Research -- Periodicals; Nursing -- Periodicals; Nursing -- Research -- Periodicals; Nursing -- Periodicals; Nursing Care -- Periodicals; 610.73
• DOI: 10.1177/1744987116678903
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1744-9871

Abstract

The National Health Service is committed to measuring the quality of nursing care through adopting a number of indicators which are not nationally standardised. Compassionate communication is one indicator, but it is unclear how this is assessed or demonstrated in practice. This is primarily a methodological paper which aims to establish the face and content validity of a questionnaire to measure nurses' non-verbal methods of compassionate communication with patients in acute healthcare. An existing questionnaire was amended to meet the study's requirements. A 'lay expert sample' was used to rate the face validity and a 'research expert sample' to rate the content validity of the instrument. Modification of one response and adding instructions on how to complete the questionnaire meant that Version 2 potentially has high face validity. The questionnaire demonstrated excellent content validity (Scale-Content Validity Index = 0.85). Recommendations include pilot testing to further investigate the construct of non-verbal compassionate communication in an acute healthcare context. This research can be used to inform the measurement of compassionate communication and promote standardisation nationally.