Instrument reliability and validity: how much needs to be published?
Although the 20 studies reviewed from Heart & Lung are methodologically sound and quite sophisticated, just as in less well-designed research, the results of these studies are not able to rise above the quality of the instrumentation used and reported. Regardless of the actual quality of instrumentation used in a study, unless it is supported by at least minimum descriptive, reliability, and validity information, the data and results should not be assumed to have any merit. Only when the instrumentation is described in such a way that the consumer of the research knows what type(s) of instrumentation was used, how accurate it has been and was in this study, and the extent to which it measured the intended variables, should the results of research be given credence. A careful researcher would offer such instrumentation information and a wise consumer should accept no less.
Lynn
M R
MR
University of Arizona College of Nursing, Tucson 85721.
D003625:Data Collection / Q000592:standards*; D015399:Nursing Research / Q000379:methods*; D011643:Publishing; D014956:Writing