Post-dishcarge surveillance in surgical site infection: Validation of an instrument

Abstract

Objective: to create and validate an instrument for detecting potential cases of surgical site infection through post-discharge telephone surveillance. Method: a methodological study using psychometric analyzes to develop and validate an instrument for conducting post-discharge surveillance of surgical site infection. Results: the instrument had a total content validity coefficient equal to 0.87. It was applied to a sample of 100 patients and compared to a medical and nursing physical examination to detect surgical site infection, resulting in satisfactory Cohen’s kappa (0.83), Cronbach’s alpha (0.87) and Comparative Fit Index (0.998). The difference between the time spent on telephone calls for patients positive for surgical site infection was statistically greater than the time spent on calls for patients negative for surgical site infection (p <0.001). Sensitivity was 76.4%, with specificity of 100%, negative predictive values of 92.5%, positive values of 100% and accuracy of 94%. Conclusion: the instrument was validated in content, criteria and constructo stages.