Responsible hospital discharge: content validation of nurse’s activities

Abstract

Objective: To develop and validate a list of activities to be performed by the nurse at the responsible hospital discharge. Method: Content validation study. The 14 generated items were organized on a Likert scale and submitted to judges’ appreciation, using the Delphi Technique. Relevance, explicitness in the statements and the sequential order of execution were evaluated. The consensus for the answers was pre-established at 0.80 and the content validity index was calculated. Results: Eight professionals participated in the validation of the created list. In Delphi 1, the content validity index ranged from 0.7 (post-discharge contact and home visit scheduling) to 1.0 and in Delphi 2, a range from 0.60 (post-discharge telephone contact) to 1.0. Conclusion: 13 of the 14 proposed activities were validated. The created list of activities can contribute to the safe discharge process, the continuity and comprehensiveness of care and, also, to the reduction of readmissions.