Development of an Exploratory Dementia Family Caregiver Pain Assessment Survey

Abstract

PURPOSE: To develop an exploratory survey measuring family caregiver use of elements of pain assessment in people living with dementia (PLWD). METHOD: A survey development process was conducted: Phase 1 (item development), Phase 2 (content validity), and Phase 3 (face validity). RESULTS: A set of survey questions was developed, and their wording modified after review by experts in survey question writing. Content experts rated the exploratory questions as having item content validity indices (I-CVI) from 0.25 to 1. Questions were further tested with a sample of family caregivers (N = 10) who supported face validity and content validity for questions with a low I-CVI. The final survey has eight quantitative and two free-text questions. CONCLUSION: This survey can be used for exploratory purposes to describe pain assessment by family caregivers of PLWD; however, further validation is needed for uses beyond exploratory work.