Development and validation of the needs of children questionnaire: An instrument to measure children’s self‐reported needs in hospital

Abstract

AimTo develop and psychometrically test the needs of children questionnaire (NCQ), a new instrument to measure school‐aged children's self‐reported psychosocial physical and emotional needs in paediatric wards.DesignThis is an instrument development study based on recommendations for developing a reliable and valid questionnaire.MethodThe NCQ was developed over three phases between February 2013–April 2017 and included item generation; content adequacy assessment; questionnaire administration; factor analysis; internal consistency assessment and construct validity. Psychometric properties were assessed after 193 school‐aged children completed the needs of children's questionnaire in four paediatric areas in Australia and New Zealand.ResultsThe development and validation of the NCQ over two countries resulted in a 16‐item, four‐category tool to measure the self‐reported importance and fulfilment of school‐aged children's needs in hospital. Cronbach's alpha for the combined samples was 0.93.ConclusionThe NCQ bridges a gap to measure the level of importance and fulfilment of school‐aged children's self‐reported needs in hospital. Future testing and validation is needed in other paediatric areas and countries.ImpactThe 16‐item NCQ is a valid measure to evaluate if the quality of care delivered and received in hospital is in line with what children self‐report as important and required and to date indicates good usability and utility. Child self‐reports are essential to inform healthcare delivery, policy, research and theory development from a child and family‐centred care lens that honours the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and the best interests of the child.

How paediatric departments in Sweden facilitate giving children a voice on their experiences of healthcare: A cross‐sectional study

“…Some of these studies aimed at special diagnosis groups [23][24][25]41 or gave children a voice to express their experiences of hospital stay. 18,42 Other validated questionnaires were aimed at both inpatients and outpatients, regardless of their diagnoses. 26,27 Such questionnaires can give many children the possibility to express their opinions and may access many individuals, which is a positive aspect from an equality perspective.…”

“…20 Several instruments for PREM aimed at children have been developed, among others, in the Netherlands, 21 the United Kingdom, [22][23][24][25][26] Sweden, 27 Australia and New Zealand. 18 However, how they are The survey is conducted every 2 years. 28 There are alternatives other than PREMs to allow children to voice out their experiences in healthcare.…”

“…[13][14][15] Existing literature on children's participation presents, among others, Shier's model for enhancing children's participation in decision-making. [16][17][18] This model can be used as a tool for individuals, teams and organisations working with children and help them to explore aspects of the participation process, which can serve as a first stage to develop children's participation frameworks in an organisation. The model is based on five levels depending on the amount of participation being offered (see Figure 1).…”

Development and validation of the Health Education Adherence Scale for Stroke Patients: a cross-sectional study

“…Bartlett’s test of sphericity and the Kaiser–Meyer–Olkin (KMO) index were used to confirm the suitability of the sample for EFA, and the KMO greater than 0.60 indicated its suitability for factor analysis [ 23 ]. Items with significant factor loadings that were equal to or greater than 0.45 were considered for retention; otherwise, they were deleted [ 24 ].Factors with eigenvalues˃1 constituted the scale’s factor structure, and factor numbers were further confirmed with a scree plot [ 23 , 25 ]. Each selected individual factor should explain at least 5% of the total variance in health education adherence, and all the selected factors should together explain at least 60% of the variance [ 23 ].…”

Questionnaires to Measure Process and Structure of Quality Indicators for Pediatric Nursing

“… 8 Moreover, children want to take an active part in decisions about their own care. 7 – 9 From a parental perspective, parents likewise appreciate being heard, nursing professionalism, and technical skills. Furthermore, parents emphasize the importance of support and information.…”