Development, Validity, and Reliability of a Japanese Version of the End-of-Life in Dementia Scales

Abstract

Background & Aims: In Japan, there are no reliable instruments to measure the quality of care for a person with end-stage dementia. This study aimed to develop a Japanese version of the End-of-Life in Dementia scales (EOLD-J) and evaluate its reliability and validity.

Methods: The EOLD-J was created by translating measurements of original scales: Satisfaction with Care (SWC-EOLD-J), Symptom Management (SM-EOLD-J), and Comfort Assessment in Dying with Dementia (CAD-EOLD-J). Participants comprised 113 family members of a deceased person with dementia and 113 nurses. The reliability and construct validity of the EOLD-J were evaluated using the scores of the SWC-EOLD-J, the Japanese Decision Regret Scale (DRS-J), the SM-EOLD-J, a short version of the Quality-of-Life Questionnaire for Dementia (short QOL-D), and the CAD-EOLD-J.

Results: Responses from 83 family members and 62 nurses were analyzed. The Cronbach’s alphas of SWC-EOLD-J, SM-EOLD-J, and CAD-EOLD-J were 0.77, 0.60, and 0.88, respectively. While the SWC-EOLD-J score was significantly correlated with DRS-J (r＝0.504, p<0.001), SM-EOLD-J and CAD-EOLD-J scores were significantly correlated with negative dimension scores: r＝0.587, p<0.001 and r＝0.509, p<0.001, respectively.

Conclusions: This study’s results demonstrate the EOLD-J scale’s internal consistency and convergent validity.