Validity and reliability of a pediatric patient classification instrument1

OBJECTIVES to assess the construct validity and reliability of the Pediatric Patient Classification Instrument. METHODS correlation study developed at a teaching hospital. The classification involved 227 patients, using the pediatric patient classification instrument. The construct validity was assessed through the factor analysis approach and reliability through internal consistency. RESULTS the Exploratory Factor Analysis identified three constructs with 67.5% of variance explanation and, in the reliability assessment, the following Cronbach's alpha coefficients were found: 0.92 for the instrument as a whole; 0.88 for the Patient domain; 0.81 for the Family domain; 0.44 for the Therapeutic procedures domain. CONCLUSIONS the instrument evidenced its construct validity and reliability, and these analyses indicate the feasibility of the instrument. The validation of the Pediatric Patient Classification Instrument still represents a challenge, due to its relevance for a closer look at pediatric nursing care and management. Further research should be considered to explore its dimensionality and content validity.