The Development of a Validated Checklist for Paracentesis

Abstract

Paracentesis is an invasive procedure known to result in complications. Procedure skills should be taught and evaluated more effectively to improve health care quality. Validated checklists are central to teaching and assessing procedural skills. The results of the first step of the validation of a paracentesis checklist are described. A comprehensive literature review of articles published on paracentesis did not yield a validated checklist. A modified Delphi technique, involving a panel of 8 interdisciplinary, interinstitutional experts, was used to develop a paracentesis checklist. The internal consistency coefficient using Cronbach’s α was .92. Developing the 24-item paracentesis checklist for teaching and assessing paracentesis is the first step in the validation process. For this checklist to become further validated, it should be implemented and studied in the simulation and clinical environments.