Improving Nursing Assessment in Adult Hospitalization Units: A Secondary Analysis

The main objective of this study was to analyze the impact of a multifaceted strategy to improve the assessment of functional capacity, risk of pressure injuries, and risk of falls at the time of admission of patients in adult hospitalization units. This was a secondary analysis of the VALENF project databases during two periods (October-December 2020, before the strategy, and October-December 2021, after the strategy). The quantity and quality of nursing assessments performed on patients admitted to adult hospitalization units were evaluated using the Barthel index, Braden index, and Downton scale. The number of assessments completed before the implementation of the new strategy was n = 686 (28.01%), versus n = 1445 (58.73%) in 2021 (p < 0.001). The strategy improved the completion of the evaluations of the three instruments from 63.4% (n = 435) to 71.8% (n = 1038) (p < 0.001). There were significant differences depending on the hospitalization unit and the assessment instrument (p < 0.05). The strategy employed was, therefore, successful. The nursing assessments show a substantial improvement in both quantity and quality, representing a noticeable improvement in nursing practice. This study was not registered.This research was funded by Universitat Jaume I, grant number UJI-A2020-08.S

Diagnostic accuracy study of the VALENF instrument in hospitalization units for adults: a study protocol

Recently, the VALENF instrument, Nursing Assessment by its acronym in Spanish, was developed as a meta-tool composed of only seven items with a more parsimonious approach for nursing assessment in adult hospitalization units. This meta-tool integrates the assessment of functional capacity, the risk of pressure injuries and the risk of falls. The general objective of this project is to validate the VALENF instrument by studying its diagnostic accuracy against the instruments commonly used in nursing to assess functional capacity, the risk of pressure injuries and the risk of falls. An observational, longitudinal, prospective study is presented, with recruitment and random selection based on admissions to six adult hospitalization units of the Hospital Universitario de La Plana. The study population will be made up of patients hospitalized in these units. The inclusion criteria will be patients over 18 years of age with a nursing assessment within the first 24 h of admission and an expected length of stay greater than 48 h and who sign the informed consent form. The exclusion criteria will be transfers from other units or centers. A sample of 521 participants is estimated as necessary. The evaluation test will be the VALENF instrument, and the reference tests will be the Barthel, Braden and Downton indices. Sociodemographic variables related to the care process and results such as functional loss, falls or pressure injuries will be collected. The evolution of functional capacity, the risk of falls and the risk of pressure injuries will be analyzed. The sensitivity, specificity and positive predictive values of the VALENF instrument will be calculated and compared to those of the usual instruments. A survival analysis will be performed for pressure injuries, falls and patients with functional loss. The VALENF instrument is expected to have at least the same diagnostic validity as the original instruments.Trial registration The study will be retrospectively registered (ISRCTN 17699562, 25/07/2023).This project is funded by Valencian Generalitat (CIGE/2022/150).S

Development and Validation of a Meta-Instrument for the Assessment of Functional Capacity, the Risk of Falls and Pressure Injuries in Adult Hospitalization Units (VALENF Instrument) (Part II)

The nursing assessment is the first step of the nursing process and fundamental to detecting patients’ care needs and at-risk situations. This article presents the psychometric properties of the VALENF Instrument, a recently developed meta-instrument with only seven items that integrates the assessment of functional capacity, risk of pressure injuries and risk of falls with a more parsimonious approach to nursing assessment in adult hospitalization units. A cross-sectional study based on recorded data in a sample of 1352 nursing assessments was conducted. Sociodemographic variables and assessments of the Barthel, Braden and Downton instruments were included at the time of admission through the electronic health history. Thus, the VALENF Instrument obtained high content validity (S-CVI = 0.961), construct validity (RMSEA = 0.072; TLI = 0.968) and internal consistency (W = 0.864). However, the inter-observer reliability results were not conclusive, with Kappa values ranging between 0.213 and 0.902 points. The VALENF Instrument has adequate psychometric properties (content validity, construct validity, internal consistency and inter-observer reliability) for assessing the level of functional capacity, risk of pressure injuries and risk of falls. Future studies are necessary to establish its diagnostic accuracy

Development and Validation of a Meta-Instrument for the Assessment of Functional Capacity, the Risk of Falls and Pressure Injuries in Adult Hospitalization Units (VALENF Instrument) (Part II)

The nursing assessment is the first step of the nursing process and fundamental to detecting patients' care needs and at-risk situations. This article presents the psychometric properties of the VALENF Instrument, a recently developed meta-instrument with only seven items that integrates the assessment of functional capacity, risk of pressure injuries and risk of falls with a more parsimonious approach to nursing assessment in adult hospitalization units. A cross-sectional study based on recorded data in a sample of 1352 nursing assessments was conducted. Sociodemographic variables and assessments of the Barthel, Braden and Downton instruments were included at the time of admission through the electronic health history. Thus, the VALENF Instrument obtained high content validity (S-CVI = 0.961), construct validity (RMSEA = 0.072; TLI = 0.968) and internal consistency (Ω = 0.864). However, the inter-observer reliability results were not conclusive, with Kappa values ranging between 0.213 and 0.902 points. The VALENF Instrument has adequate psychometric properties (content validity, construct validity, internal consistency and inter-observer reliability) for assessing the level of functional capacity, risk of pressure injuries and risk of falls. Future studies are necessary to establish its diagnostic accuracy.This research was funded by Universitat Jaume I, grant number UJI-A2020-08.S

Exploring the construct validity of the Barthel index in a sample of Spanish hospitalised patients

Objetivo: Examinar la validez de constructo del índice de Barthel en unidades de hospitalización de adultos. Métodos: Se realizó un análisis secundario en una muestra de 1.342 pacientes adultos ingresados en unidades de hospitalización. El análisis factorial confirmatorio del índice de Barthel no confirma su estructura unidimensional (CFA-1). Se exploraron dos métodos para encontrar una solución con un mejor ajuste. Se realizó la secuencia de los métodos clásicos de análisis factorial exploratorio y confirmatorio (CFA-2). Se realizó un modelo gráfico gaussiano y un análisis factorial confirmatorio (CFA-3). Se compararon tres modelos sobre una base de varios indicadores de bondad de ajuste. Resultados: Los resultados del CFA-1 (2 = 161.616; p < 0,001; RMSEA = 0,183) indicaron un mal ajuste entre el modelo y los datos obtenidos. El análisis factorial exploratorio proporcionó un modelo con dos dimensiones que explicaba 86% de la varianza y mejoró el indicador de bondad de ajuste en CFA-2 (2 = 846; p < 0,001; RMSEA = 0,133). El modelo gráfico gaussiano ofreció una solución con tres dimensiones que mejoró la bondad de ajuste con respecto a los modelos anteriores al eliminar el ítem continencia vesical (2 = 493; p < 0,001; RMSEA = 0,09). Conclusiones: El índice de Barthel no es una medida unidimensional de la capacidad funcional cuando se aplica en unidades de hospitalización de adultos. El modelo que mejor se ajusta tiene una estructura tridimensional (higiene, alimentación y eliminación, movilidad) que se relaciona con los dominios de los cuidados básicos.Objective: Examine the construct validity of the Barthel Index in adult inpatient units. Methods: A secondary analysis was performed on a sample of 1342 adult patients admitted to inpatient units. A confirmatory factor analysis of the Barthel Index did not confirm its unidimensional structure (CFA-1). Therefore, two methods were explored to find a solution with a better fit. The sequence of the classical exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis methods was carried out (CFA-2). In contrast, a Gaussian graphical model and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA-3) were performed. Three models were compared on the basis of several goodness-of-fit indicators. Results: CFA-1 results (2 = 161616; P < .001; RMSEA = .183) indicated a poor fit between the model and the data. Exploratory factor analysis provided a model with two dimensions that explained 86% of the variance and improved the goodness-of-fit in CFA-2 (2 = 846; P < .001; RMSEA = .133). The Gaussian graphical model, by removing the item ‘Bladder’, offered a solution with three dimensions that improved the goodness-of-fit compared to the previous models (2 = 492; P < .001; RMSEA = .09). Conclusions: The Barthel Index is not a unidimensional measure of functional capacity when applied to adult inpatient units. The best-fitting model has a three-dimensional structure (Hygiene; Feeding and disposal; Mobility) that relates to the domains of care needs

Improving Nursing Assessment in Adult Hospitalization Units: A Secondary Analysis

The main objective of this study was to analyze the impact of a multifaceted strategy to improve the assessment of functional capacity, risk of pressure injuries, and risk of falls at the time of admission of patients in adult hospitalization units. This was a secondary analysis of the VALENF project databases during two periods (October–December 2020, before the strategy, and October–December 2021, after the strategy). The quantity and quality of nursing assessments performed on patients admitted to adult hospitalization units were evaluated using the Barthel index, Braden index, and Downton scale. The number of assessments completed before the implementation of the new strategy was n = 686 (28.01%), versus n = 1445 (58.73%) in 2021 (p n = 435) to 71.8% (n = 1038) (p p < 0.05). The strategy employed was, therefore, successful. The nursing assessments show a substantial improvement in both quantity and quality, representing a noticeable improvement in nursing practice. This study was not registered

Development and Validation of a Meta-Instrument for Nursing Assessment in Adult Hospitalization Units (VALENF Instrument) (Part I)

Nursing assessment is the basis for performing interventions that match patient needs, but nurses perceive it as an administrative load. This research aims to develop and validate a meta-instrument that integrates the assessment of functional capacity, risk of pressure ulcers and risk of falling with a more parsimonious approach to nursing assessment in adult hospitalization units. Specifically, this manuscript presents the results of the development of this meta-instrument (VALENF instrument). A cross-sectional study based on recorded data was carried out in a sample of 1352 nursing assessments. Socio-demographic variables and assessments of Barthel, Braden and Downton indices at the time of admission were included. The meta-instrument&rsquo;s development process includes: (i) nominal group; (ii) correlation analysis; (iii) multiple linear regressions models; (iv) reliability analysis. A seven-item solution showed a high predictive capacity with Barthel (R2adj = 0.938), Braden (R2adj = 0.926) and Downton (R2adj = 0.921) indices. Likewise, reliability was significant (p &lt; 0.001) for Barthel (ICC = 0.969; &tau;-b = 0.850), Braden (ICC = 0.943; &tau;-b = 0.842) and Downton (ICC = 0.905; &kappa; = 7.17) indices. VALENF instrument has an adequate predictive capacity and reliability to assess the level of functional capacity, risk of pressure injuries and risk of falls