經驗專家於內容效度的運用——以老年族群為例

Using Experiential Experts in Content Validity: The Example of Elderly Population

以實證為基礎的護理研究結果，有助於照護品質的提昇；而測量工具的合適性，對於研究者是否能真實測量到所欲測量的現象深具影響。內容效度乃正式施測前，藉由專家評定測量工具合適性的一種方式，傳統上多邀請專業領域中之學者或實務工作者擔任。近年來開始有學者在自述量表內容效度評定中提出經驗專家的概念，利用與研究主題有實際經驗的人，來審視工具的合適性，以提昇其實用性。筆者將此概念運用在老年族群，發現多數認知功能正常的老人有能力擔任經驗專家，他們除了能評定測量工具中題目的清晰性與重要性，亦能表達面對題目時的心理感受，進而提出修正意見。建議未來之研究，除專業專家外，可視議題之特殊性，增列五名老年經驗專家協助量表內容效度之評定，以銜補專業專家評定之偏礙，使測量工具之內容更能貼近受試者的真實狀況；其中須妥善考量提問方式，受邀老人之生理與認知狀況、教育程度、語言表達能力，及必須具備與研究主題相關之經驗與知識。

Evidence-based nursing research findings can contribute to improved healthcare quality. Instruments employed to obtain measurements and obtain data affect the accuracy and appropriateness of such and can impact significantly on findings and recommendations. Content validity employs experts to assess instruments prior to their formal use in testing. Traditionally, relevant scholars / clinical professionals are invited to serve as content validity experts in the instrument assessment process. Recently, some have proposed changing the concept of experiential expert to allow the use of individuals with experience to assess self-reported instrument appropriateness in order to improve instrument practicality. In this article, we applied this concept to old age groups, and found most elderly people with normal cognitive functions qualified to serve as effective experiential experts. This group were able to assess instruments not only in terms of writing clarity and subject importance, but also in terms of their own feelings / impressions. These experiential individuals then proposed amendments, a significant portion of which were deemed valid and relevant. It is recommended that, in addition to professional experts, researchers add five elderly experiential experts to teams recruited to evaluate research content validity in the future in order to resolve limitations imposed by evaluations made only by professional experts and to ensure measurement tool content addresses as closely as possible the true state of participants. However, some factors should be carefully considered before inviting elderly individuals as experts. These include selecting appropriate inquiry methodology; considering individuals’ physical and cognitive status, educational background, and ability to express opinions clearly; and related experience and knowledge.