Validity and reliability of the Turkish version of nonverbal pain scale in adults

This study was conducted methodologically to adapt the Adult Nonverbal Pain Scale (NVPS) into Turkish, and to test reliability and validity of the scale. The population of the study consisted of patients admitted to the general surgery intensive care, heart and vascular surgery intensive care, brain surgery intensive care units, and to anesthesiology and reanimation unit in Balcalı Hospital of Faculty of Medicine of Cukurova University and in Adana Numune Research and Training Hospital during the period of April 2016 – October 2017. The sample of the study consisted of patients who were over 18 years old, connected to mechanical ventilation and sedated and whose relatives approved the patients to be included in the study. Number Cruncher Statistical System (NCSS) - Power Analysis and Sample Size System (PASS) 2008 program was used to calculate the sample size. Based on the study results of Kabes et al. in 2009, 74 patients were included in the sample group, and the alpha reliability value of the study was 0.05, and the power was β = 0.90. Language, content, construct validity and reliability analyses were used in the analysis of reliability and validity. Linguistic validation of NVPS was analyzed with forward and back translation, and content validity was established by using expert opinions. Factor loadings in explanatory factor analysis were sufficient (0.790-0.900), and the fitindices of the scale were acceptable values in confirmatory factor analysis (x2/SD: 2.414, RMSEA:0.066, CFI: 0.910, SRMR: 0.073, GFI: 0. 950 ve AGFI: 0.930) After internal consistency analyses of the scale, item-total correlation was sufficient (0.604-0.794), and Cronbach's alpha score was 0.776. In conclusion, NVPS was determined to be a reliable and a valid pain assessment tool in sedated and mechanically ventilated critically ill adults. Key Words: Pain, Intensive Care, Nonverbal Pain Scale in Adults, Validity