A validation study of the nursing diagnosis anxiety in Brazil.

PURPOSE

This study aims to validate the nursing diagnosis of anxiety among expert Brazilian nurses and clinicians using NANDA International defining characteristics and to compare the clinical judgments of the experts and the clinicians.

METHOD

A semistructured questionnaire was completed by a convenience sample of 120 nurses. NANDA International defining characteristics of the Brazilian Portuguese version were used. The analysis of the ratings was based on the framework of the Diagnostic Content Validation model. Brazilian nurses considered the anxiety definition established by NANDA International to be appropriate and experts' and clinicians' judgments were similar for both groups of nurses.

FINDINGS

The results showed that among the 71 characteristics of anxiety, 8 were identified as critical defining characteristics of anxiety (score >or= 0, 80) by the expert nurses.

CONCLUSIONS

Brazilian nurses accepted the NANDA International definition for nursing diagnosis of anxiety although some defining characteristics might differ due to cultural differences. Future research could address the limitations of the study and examine validations by both the experts and the clinicians.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING PRACTICE

The adequate preparation of undergraduate and postgraduate nurses in nursing diagnosis is important in improving the quality of care given to patients.