Psychometrics of Emergency Risk Communication Checklist in Public Health Sector

• Main Authors: Zeinab Bagheri, Tahere Dehdari, Masoud Lotfizadeh
• Format: Article
• Language: fas
• Published: Qom University of Medical Sciences 2020-11-01
• Series: Majallah-i Dānishgāh-i ̒Ulūm-i Pizishkī-i Qum
• Subjects: psychometric; checklist; emergency risk communication; crisis; persian
• Online Access: http://journal.muq.ac.ir/article-1-2885-en.html

Background and Objectives: Given the importance of effective communication in emergency and crisis situations, the use of a valid and reliable tool is vitally important to assess the health sectorchr('39')s preparedness in terms of risk communication. This study, conducted in Persian, aimed to investigate the psychometrics of emergency risk communication checklist in the public health sector.   Methods: In this psychometrics research, initially, the checklist designed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was translated into Persian using back translation method. Subsequently, the opinions of experts in various fields of health education in disasters and accidents were applied to evaluate the quality and quantity of content validity of the checklist items. In this regard, the content validity index (CVI) and content validity ratio (CVR) of each item were assessed. Accordingly, the items with the CVI of ˂ 0.62 and CVR of ˂ 0.79 were deleted from the checklist. The face validity of the items was also evaluated. The reliability of the items was estimated in 30 health centers affiliated to Sharekord University of Medical Sciences, Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari Province, Iran, using the Cohen’s kappa coefficient by two independent evaluators.   Results: Based on the results of the quantitative and qualitative content validity, eight items were edited, one item was removed, and six items were merged. Cohen’s kappa coefficient between the evaluators was obtained as 0.87 (P<0.0001) which is acceptable. Eventually, a 191-item checklist was obtained and confirmed.   Conclusion: The psychometrically valid checklist used in this study can assess the preparedness of the healthcare sector for risk communication in emergencies.