Content validity of the Toronto Pain Management Inventory-Acute Coronary Syndrome Version.

Abstract

Cardiac pain and/or discomfort arising from acute coronary syndromes (ACS) can often be severe and anxiety-provoking. Cardiac pain, a symptom of impaired myocardial perfusion, if left untreated, may lead to further myocardial hypoxia, which can potentiate myocardial damage. Evidence suggests that once ACS patients are stabilized, their pain may not be adequately assessed. Lack of knowledge and problematic beliefs about pain may contribute to this problem. To date, no standardized tools are available to examine nurses' specific knowledge and beliefs about ACS pain that could inform future educational initiatives. To examine the content validity of the Toronto Pain Management Inventory-ACS Version (TPMI-ACS), a 24-item tool designed to assess nurses' knowledge and beliefs about ACS pain assessment and management. Eight clinical and scientific experts rated the relevance of each item using a four-point scale. A content validity index was computed for each item (I-CVI), as well as the total scale, expressed as the mean item CVI (S-CVI/AVE). Items with an I-CVI > or = 0.7 were retained, items with an I-CVI ranging from 0.5-0.7 were revised and clarified, and items with an I-CVI