Abstract
Objective: To develop an "Elective Surgery Worry Assessment Tool" (ESWAT) for patients undergoing surgery under general anesthesia and to investigate its reliability and validity.
Methods: The question items were selected based on the results of a qualitative study on elective surgery patients and a questionnaire survey on surgical nurses as well as a literature review of anxiety and concerns regarding surgery. A questionnaire survey was then conducted using a 36-item trial version of ESWAT for which content validity had been confirmed. Subjects comprised 192 individuals.
Results: Based on the results of exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis, an acceptable fit was confirmed for ESWAT as a second-order factor structural model consisting of 20 items and five factors with "anxiety regarding surgery" as a higher-order factor. Cronbach's α of ESWAT was .967, indicating internal consistency. Moreover, the criterion-related validity of ESWAT was investigated in comparison with the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and Short Form-8, and a significant correlation was observed for the HADS anxiety score.
Conclusion: The reliability and validity of ESWAT were confirmed, and ESWAT was considered useful as an assessment scale for assessing needs in preparatory education for elective surgery patients as well as nursing intervention.
