Developing an Instrument to Assess KAP Among Stroke Healthcare Providers

Objective:  To develop an instrument to assess levels of knowledge, attitude and practices (KAP) related to oral care among stroke health care providers. Method: The underlying conceptual/theoretical framework used was the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB). An item pool was generated from a review of literature of TPB which covered the domains of i) attitudes, ii) subjective norms and iii) perceived behavioural control. Items were identified through a literature review process and adapted for assessing levels of KAP on oral care. An expert panel of stroke health care workers rated the items in the item-pool for clarity and relevance using the content validity index(CVI; CVI-Relevant, CVI-Clarity); and for comprehensiveness. Result: CVI-Relevant ratings ranged from 0.54 to 1.0 with a mean of 0.95. CVI-Clarity ratings ranged from 0.62 to 1.0 with a mean of 0.92. The comprehensiveness of the instrument was ‘good'-‘excellent'. Further modifications were suggested through qualitative feedback. An instrument comprising 48 items was developed: background information (9 items), institutional information (7 items), current practice of oral care (13 items), oral care knowledge (6 items) and TPB (13 items). Further psychometric evaluation (validity and reliability testing) is required. Conclusion: An instrument to assess levels of KAP related to oral care among stroke healthcare providers was developed based on the Theory of Planned Behaviour. Initial testing confirmed good-excellent face and content validity. Further psychometric testing of the instrument is planned.