Abstract
Objectives: To develop a “MITORI” Care Scale that evaluates nursing care for patients with end-stage cancer and their families and to examine its reliability and validity.
Methods: The original “MITORI” Care Scale was developed based on a descriptive study and a comprehensive review of the literature. A revised 49-item version was developed based an examination of the content validity of the original scale. Subsequently, the revised questionnaire was distributed to 562 registered nurses employed at 4 general hospitals in Japan.
Results: Exploratory factor analysis by principal factor analysis with promax rotation was conducted. The following five factors comprised of 22 items were finally extracted: “Care facilitating death without regret,” “Spiritual care,” “Assurance of palliative care,” “Supporting decision making with appropriate information,” and “Arrangement of available care.” A confirmatory factor analysis was conducted by analyzing covariance structures and the hypothesized statistical model was found to fit the actual data. The reliability of the scale was confirmed by a Cronbach's alpha internal consistency reliability coefficient of 0.91 (0.67-0.83 for subscales) and a test-retest reliability coefficient of 0.74. The criterion-related validity was confirmed by interventions using Family Support and Dying Care, the Scale of the Professional Autonomy in Nursing, and the Satisfaction Scale of Hospice Nurses in Providing End-of-Life Care. Furthermore, the construct validity was confirmed by the known-group technique.
Conclusion: The above findings indicate that the “MITORI” Care Scale is sufficiently valid to improve the quality of nursing care for patients with end-stage cancer and their families.
