title: Preferences for care near the end of life: scale development and validation.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to develop and validate an instrument, the Preferences for Care near the End of Life (PCEOL) scale. Following a literature review and using the domain-referenced approach and a test grid, a large pool of items was generated to reflect five dimensions of preferences for care near the end of life. These were reviewed for relevance and clarity by an expert panel. A convenience sample of 198 adults was secured to provide data for the study of the psychometric properties of the scale. Data screening and item analysis resulted in a final sample of 43 items. A principal factor analysis (PFA) resulted in an interpretable, meaningful five-factor solution. Reliability estimates (internal consistency) for the factors on the multidimensional instrument ranged from.68 to.91. Retest stability estimates for the PCEOL showed correlations of.80 to.94 for factor scores over a 2-week interval.
authors.affiliation: University of Texas Medical Branch, School of Nursing, 301 University Boulevard, Galveston, TX 77555-1029, USA.
authors.forename: D M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Gauthier
authors.forename: R D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Froman
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003657:Decision Making; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires / Q000592:standards*; D019452:Terminally Ill / Q000523:psychology*