title: [Validity and reliability study of sedation diagnosis method comfort scale].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of the present methodological descriptive study was to test the validity and reliability of the COMFORT scale.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study was conducted at a pediatric critical care unit at a university hospital between February 2009 and June 2010. Study sample included 84 pediatric patients (n=37) receiving mechanical ventilation. Data were collected via child information form, COMFORT scale, and visual analog scale (VAS). Having been assured of the language and context validity of the scale, researchers conducted reliability tests (Cronbach's alpha coefficient, item analysis), inter- and intra-observer reliability tests, and correlation analyses based on the data obtained during their own observations.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Cronbach's alpha coefficient was 0.77. Results of the item analysis indicated that item-total correlations were satisfactorily high. Significance of inter-observer agreement was analyzed for each item, and it was found that weighted kappa values varied between 0.703 and 0.888. Convergent validity tests demonstrated a positive strong correlation between COMFORT scale scores of the primary researcher and the assistant researchers (r= 0.961, p<0.000), and between the scores of the COMFORT scale and the VAS (r= 0.775, p<0.000; r=0.786, p<0.000).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It was concluded that the COMFORT scale was a valid and reliable method of measuring sedation levels of children receiving mechanical ventilation and being sedated in a pediatric critical care unit.
authors.affiliation: İzmir University Faculty of Health, İzmir, Turkey. dilekbeytut@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Dilek
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Beytut
authors.affiliation: Ege University Nursing Faculty, İzmir, Turkey.
authors.forename: Zümrüt
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Başbakkal
authors.affiliation: Pediatric Critical Care Unit, Ege University Medical School, İzmir, Turkey.
authors.forename: Bülent
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Karapınar
mesh_terms: D000700:Analgesics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002648:Child; D016292:Procedural Sedation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015278:Intensive Care Units, Pediatric; D008297:Male; D010147:Pain Measurement; D010148:Intractable Pain / Q000188:drug therapy*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results
chemical_list: D000700:Analgesics