Neil H Penny1, Samantha J Bires2, Elizabeth A Bonn3, Alisha N Dockery4, Nicole L Pettit5. 1. Neil H. Penny, EdD, OTR/L, is Chair, Occupational Therapy Department, Alvernia University, Reading, PA; Neil.Penny@alvernia.edu. 2. Samantha J. Bires, MSOT, OTR/L, is Clinical Occupational Therapist, Amedisys Home Health Care, Lancaster, PA. 3. Elizabeth A. Bonn, MSOT, OTR/L, is Clinical Occupational Therapist, PinnacleHealth Community General Osteopathic Hospital, Harrisburg, PA. 4. Alisha N. Dockery, MSOT, OTR/L, is Clinical Occupational Therapist, Theraplay, Inc., Limerick, PA. 5. Nicole L. Pettit, MSOT, OTR/L, is Clinical Occupational Therapist, Lancaster Rehabilitation Hospital, Lancaster, PA.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: We describe the development of an instrument to measure moral distress experienced by occupational therapists and show how its content validity was established. METHOD: Written comments (n = 78) from a previous survey using the Moral Distress Scale-Revised-Other Health Provider Adult were used to modify that instrument and create the Moral Distress Scale-Revised-Occupational Therapy-Adult Settings (MDS-R-OT[A]). The MDS-R-OT[A] was distributed to a nationwide random sample of 400 occupational therapists who rated the relevance of each item to their clinical practice. RESULTS: A scale content validity index of 81.8% was found (geriatric = 81.5%, physical disability = 80.8%, combination of the two = 85.7%). CONCLUSION: The MDS-R-OT[A] possesses acceptable content validity and is appropriate for use with occupational therapists working in geriatric or physical disability settings.
OBJECTIVE: We describe the development of an instrument to measure moral distress experienced by occupational therapists and show how its content validity was established. METHOD: Written comments (n = 78) from a previous survey using the Moral Distress Scale-Revised-Other Health Provider Adult were used to modify that instrument and create the Moral Distress Scale-Revised-Occupational Therapy-Adult Settings (MDS-R-OT[A]). The MDS-R-OT[A] was distributed to a nationwide random sample of 400 occupational therapists who rated the relevance of each item to their clinical practice. RESULTS: A scale content validity index of 81.8% was found (geriatric = 81.5%, physical disability = 80.8%, combination of the two = 85.7%). CONCLUSION: The MDS-R-OT[A] possesses acceptable content validity and is appropriate for use with occupational therapists working in geriatric or physical disability settings.