Development and validation of an informative manual on venous thromboembolism for the lay population

Abstract

ABSTRACT Objective To develop an informative manual on venous thromboembolism prevention for the lay population and to estimate evidences of content and face validity. Methods A methodological study conducted in three stages. The first stage was the preparation of the manual, followed by content validation with cardiovascular specialists who judged clarity, theoretical relevance and practical pertinence on a 4-point Likert scale. Items with a content validity index ≤0.75 were revised and re-evaluated. The last stage was the face validation by lay people, who were interviewed regarding item understanding and visual appearance. Items with more than 80.0% positive opinions were considered adequate. Results The manual was developed containing nine illustrations, definition of the disease, risk factors, signs and symptoms, and preventive measures. In the first assessment round, the validity index was 1.0 for the text of all sections, with suggestions for language adjustments. As to the illustrations, the validity indexes ranged from 0.67 to 1.0. In the second round, the validity index reached 1.0 for all items. A total of 40 lay people participated in the face validation, and all considered the paper type and font size appropriate, as well as the font used as readable; 97.5% were able to understand the information contained in the manual; 98.0% considered it esthetically beautiful; and 90.0% considered the reading not tiresome. Conclusion The informative manual on venous thromboembolism prevention was prepared, its content validated by experts, and considered appropriate by the lay population. These results suggest that the manual may be used as a preventive educational strategy for venous thromboembolism.

Keywords

• Venous thromboembolism
• Risk factors
• Education, nursing
• Pulmonary embolism
• Validation study