Developing an instrument to assess KAP among stroke healthcare providers

Abstract

Objectives: To develop an instrument to assess knowledge, attitude and practices (KAP) relating to oral care among stroke health care providers. Methods: The underlying conceptual/theoretical framework was the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB). An item pool was generated from a review of literature of TPB which covered the domains of i) attitudes, ii) subjective norm and iii) perceived behavioural control. Items were adapted for assesing KAP for oral care. An item pool of 48 items were identified across the five domains; background information (9 items), institutional information (7 items), current practice of oral care (13 items), oral care knowledge (6 items) and TPB (13 items). An expert panel of stroke health care workers rated items for clarity and relevance using the content validity index (CVI; CVI-Relevant, CVI-Clarity); and for comprehensiveness. Results: CVI-Relevant rating ranged from 0.54 to 1.0 with a mean of 0.95. CVI-Clarity ranged from 0.62 to 1.0 with a mean of 0.92. The comprehensiveness of the instrument was ‘good’-‘excellent’. Further modifications were suggested through qualitative feedback. Conclusion: An instrument to assess KAP related to oral care among stroke healthcare providers was developed based on the TPB. Initial testing confirmed good-excellent face and content validity. Further psychometric testing of the instrument (validity and reliability) is planned.