Abstract
Background Perceived control, an indicator of the patient's ability to cope and thrive with a chronic illness, is a common target of nursing interventions. As of 2019, more than 25 000 patients had been implanted with a left ventricular assist device (LVAD) as a treatment of advanced heart failure. Patients with an LVAD experience significant life changes that affect anxiety, depression, health-related quality of life, and, presumably, perceived control. To adequately intervene and improve perceived control, a reliable and valid measure is needed. Objectives The objectives of this analysis were to (1) assess item discrimination and anticipated range of scores of the Control Attitudes Scale-Revised (CAS-R), (2) assess the internal consistency and validity of the CAS-R, and (3) examine perceived control in a sample of patients with an LVAD. Methods Two cohorts of patients with an LVAD (n = 113) were combined to evaluate the psychometric qualities of the CAS-R. Correlations among patient-reported outcomes and perceived control were used to evaluate validity. Cronbach α was used to test internal consistency. Item response theory was used to measure item discrimination and anticipated scores. Descriptive statistics describe perceived control in the sample. Results Overall, the CAS-R demonstrated good internal consistency and convergent validity with other patient-reported outcomes. Using the item response theory, we saw that the CAS-R was a good predictor of lower-moderate scorers but was not good at differentiating high performers. There were several items that were poor discriminators and could be altered or discarded to create a more predictive instrument. Conclusions The CAS-R is a valid and reliable instrument to measure perceived control in patients who have LVAD implants; however, more work could be done to improve item-level information.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 120-127 |
Number of pages | 8 |
Journal | Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing |
Volume | 38 |
Issue number | 2 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Mar 1 2023 |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:© Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.
Keywords
- Control Attitudes Scale
- LVAD
- item response theory
- perceived control
- psychometrics
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General Medicine