Reliability and validity of a Turkish language version of the Bates-Jensen Wound Assessment Tool.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to evaluate content and construct validity of a Turkish language version of the Bates Wound Assessment Tool (BWAT) as well as its internal consistency and interrater reliability.

SUBJECTS AND

SETTING

The study was conducted in 13 intensive care units that included patients with pressure ulcers; the units were located in a university hospital in Central Anatolia, Turkey. The sample comprised 70 nurses and 20 patients who have stage II, III, and IV pressure ulcers.

METHODS

Data were collected between January and April 2011. Content validity was measured using the Davis Technique. The BWAT was scored by 2 groups, nurses with expertise in wound care and staff nurses. An expert nurse and a ward nurse conducted pressure ulcer evaluation on the same patient consecutively in order to determine interrater reliability. We also measured internal consistency via the Cronbach α.

RESULTS

The content validity agreement rate was 0.82. The interrater reliability of the instrument was 0.82; its internal consistency calculated via the Cronbach α was 0.85.

CONCLUSION

The findings of this study support the Turkish language version of the BWAT as possessing content validity, interrater reliability and internal consistency.