Validity and Reliability of a Practice-Based Infant Pain Assessment Instrument

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine the validity and reliability of an infant pain assessment instrument. This instrument is an algorithm derived from a model of infant pain assessment that emerged from interviews with pediatric nurses and includes methods for evaluating clinical data that suggest the likelihood of pain. Unlike other instruments, this instrument is not restricted to use in clinical situations where the likelihood of pain is evident. This instrument determines the three levels of pain that guide subsequent nursing interventions: no pain, mild pain (discomfort), and severe pain. Content validity was determined by obtaining and incorporating feedback from a focus group of practicing pediatric nurses on various developmental stages of the instrument. Criterion-like validity was excellent: Mean Pearson correlations between the pain ratings of 18 videotaped infants by 24 nursing students using the instrument with ratings performed by a panel of 5 expert nurses not using any instrument was 0.96. Test-retest reliability, as measured by Pearson correlations between pain ratings 3 months apart, was also excellent (r = 0.91).

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