Abstract
The objective of the present study was to create a provisional assessment scale for developing an assessment scale for the eating and swallowing functions of tracheostomy patients. For the provisional assessment scale, a total of 75 items having face validity were identified based on existing literature and the experiences of certified nurse specialists and certified nurses in the field of critical care. The items were then classified based on their characteristics into “items of observation by nurses” (n＝43), involving assessment by nurses, and “items on questions for patients” (n＝32), involving assessment by patients, resulting in two scales. Using these scales, the eating and swallowing functions of 14 tracheostomy patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) were assessed a total of 18 times. Cronbach’s α was 0.94 for “items of observation by nurses” and 0.72 for “items on questions for patients” . In addition, a significant correlation was observed between the scores for “items of observation by nurses” and “items on questions for patients” (r ＝0.78 ; n=18, p ＜0.001). It is necessary to verify the usefulness of the present tool in the future by increasing the number of subjects for assessment and enrolling a more uniform group of subjects in order to develop a standardized assessment scale for eating and swallowing functions of tracheostomy patients.
