title: Validation of the structure for the "Clinical Assessment of Confusion-A".
abstract: The Clinical Assessment of Confusion-A (CAC-A) is an observational checklist developed for practicing nurses to measure the presence and level of confusion in hospitalized adults. In a previous study, the following dimensions were found using principal factor analysis: cognition, general behavior, motor activity, orientation, psychotic/neurotic behavior, and two uninterpretable factors. A replication study was conducted to evaluate the validity of a statistically derived model for confusion suggested by the CAC-A. Data from a sample of 566 nurses were analyzed. Three theoretically justified statistical models for the structure of confusion were estimated and compared using a model selection approach to covariance structures analysis: a single-factor unidimensional model, an orthogonal six-factor model, and an oblique six-factor model similar to the structure suggested in the development study. The oblique six-factor model provided the best fit in the predictive sense and was the most satisfactory from a theoretical perspective.
authors.affiliation: College of Nursing, University of North Dakota Grand Forks 58202-9025, USA.
authors.forename: P E
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: Hadley Vermeersch
authors.forename: S J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Henly
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003221:Confusion / Q000451:nursing* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D005851:Geriatric Nursing / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008960:Models, Psychological; D009658:North Dakota; D009730:Nursing Assessment / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires