Mayo Ann M
Author Affiliation: Post Doctoral Fellow, Hahn School of Nursing & Health Science, University of San Diego, California.
Clin Nurse Spec. 2015 May-Jun;29(3):134-8. doi: 10.1097/NUR.0000000000000131.
It is important for CNSs and other APNs to consider the reliability and validity of instruments chosen for clinical practice, evidence-based practice projects, or research studies. Psychometric testing uses specific research methods to evaluate the amount of error associated with any particular instrument. Reliability estimates explain more about how well the instrument is designed, whereas validity estimates explain more about scores that are produced by the instrument. An instrument may be architecturally sound overall (reliable), but the same instrument may not be valid. For example, if a specific group does not understand certain well-constructed items, then the instrument does not produce valid scores when used with that group. Many instrument developers may conduct reliability testing only once, yet continue validity testing in different populations over many years. All CNSs should be advocating for the use of reliable instruments that produce valid results. Clinical nurse specialists may find themselves in situations where reliability and validity estimates for some instruments that are being utilized are unknown. In such cases, CNSs should engage key stakeholders to sponsor nursing researchers to pursue this most important work.
对于临床护理专家（CNSs）和其他高级实践护士（APNs）而言，在为临床实践、循证实践项目或研究选择工具时，考虑其可靠性和有效性非常重要。心理测量测试使用特定的研究方法来评估与任何特定工具相关的误差量。可靠性估计更多地解释了工具的设计优劣，而有效性估计则更多地解释了该工具所产生的分数情况。一种工具总体上可能在结构上是合理的（可靠的），但同一工具可能并不有效。例如，如果特定群体不理解某些构建良好的项目，那么当该工具用于该群体时就不会产生有效的分数。许多工具开发者可能只进行一次可靠性测试，但会在多年内针对不同人群持续进行有效性测试。所有临床护理专家都应提倡使用能产生有效结果的可靠工具。临床护理专家可能会发现自己处于某些正在使用的工具的可靠性和有效性估计未知的情况。在这种情况下，临床护理专家应促使关键利益相关者赞助护理研究人员开展这项极其重要的工作。
