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Validation of the Bluebelle Wound Healing Questionnaire for assessment of surgical-site infection in closed primary wounds after hospital discharge

Macefield, R; Blazeby, J; Reeves, B; Brookes, S; Avery, K; Rogers, C; Woodward, M; ... et al., .; + view all (2019) Validation of the Bluebelle Wound Healing Questionnaire for assessment of surgical-site infection in closed primary wounds after hospital discharge. British Journal of Surgery , 106 (3) pp. 226-235. 10.1002/bjs.11008. Green open access

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Abstract

BACKGROUND: Accurate assessment of surgical‐site infection (SSI) is crucial for surveillance and research. Self‐reporting patient measures are needed because current SSI tools are limited for assessing patients after leaving hospital. The Bluebelle Wound Healing Questionnaire (WHQ) was developed for patient or observer completion; this study tested its acceptability, scale structure, reliability and validity in patients with closed primary wounds after abdominal surgery. METHODS: Patients completed the WHQ (self‐assessment) within 30 days after leaving hospital and returned it by post. Healthcare professionals completed the WHQ (observer assessment) by telephone or face‐to‐face. Questionnaire response rates and patient acceptability were assessed. Factor analysis and Cronbach's α examined scale structure and internal consistency. Test–retest and self‐ versus observer reliability assessments were performed. Sensitivity and specificity for SSI discrimination against a face‐to‐face reference diagnosis (using Centers for Disease Control and Prevention criteria) were examined. RESULTS: Some 561 of 792 self‐assessments (70·8 per cent) and 597 of 791 observer assessments (75·5 per cent) were completed, with few missing data or problems reported. Data supported a single‐scale structure with strong internal consistency (α greater than 0·8). Reliability between test–retest and self‐ versus observer assessments was good (κ 0·6 or above for the majority of items). Sensitivity and specificity for SSI discrimination was high (area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve 0·91). CONCLUSION:The Bluebelle WHQ is acceptable, reliable and valid with a single‐scale structure for postdischarge patient or observer assessment of SSI in closed primary wounds.

Type: Article
Title: Validation of the Bluebelle Wound Healing Questionnaire for assessment of surgical-site infection in closed primary wounds after hospital discharge
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.1002/bjs.11008
Publisher version: http://doi.org/10.1002/bjs.11008
Language: English
Additional information: © 2018 The Authors. BJS published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of BJS Society Ltd. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Population Health Sciences > UCL EGA Institute for Womens Health
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Population Health Sciences > UCL EGA Institute for Womens Health > Maternal and Fetal Medicine
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10064937
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