Development and Assessment of the Reliability and Validity of a Psychological Stress Scale for Catheterized Home Healthcare Patients

Author(s): Toshihide Ito, Ryoichi Ichihashi, Kouichi Tanabe, Tomomi Umemura, Masakazu Uemura, Yoshimasa Nagao

Background: Accidental dislodgement of tubes/catheters from patients’ bodies is frequent in healthcare; making it a crucial patient safety management issue. Additionally, the number of pati-ents needing catheter management at home has increased with the rise in aging patients. Pain or stre-ss from directly inserting a tube/catheter into the body causes accidental dislodgement. However, quantitative measurements have not yet been devel-oped to evaluate patients’ stress resulting from dislodgement fear.

Aim: This study aimed to develop a psychological stress scale for patients using tubes/catheters at home (PSS-CP) and evaluate its reliability and validity.

Materials and Methods: The questionnaire was developed through interviews with 10 patients using tubes/catheters at home. Reliability was examined using the test-retest method and Cronbach’s α. Factorial and criterion-related validity were examined using exploratory factor analysis and the 12-item General Health Questionnaire, respectively.

Results: The PSS-CP comprised 16 items across four factors: “anxiety about catheter dislodgement while moving or in the toilet,” “anxiety about tube dislodgement when resting or lying down,” “anxiety about tube dislodgement while dressing/undressing,” and “anxiety about tube dislodgement while bathing.” Criterion-related validity was significantly correlated with general anxiety (r = 0.71, p < 0.01) and pain/discomfort (r = 0.364, p < 0.05). The retest method showed a highly significant correlation (r = 0.791, p < 0.01), with Cronbach’s α > .90.

Conclusions: A scale to measure psychological stress among catheterized home healthcare patients was developed and its reliability and validity demonstrated.