Face and construct validation of the Instrument of Evaluation of Maternal and Child Care Networks (IEMCN)

Abstract

The organization of health systems in Health Care Networks (HCN) presents itself as a strategy to overcome the fragmentation of maternal and child health actions and services and to qualify care management. The objective of this study was to validate the Instrument for Evaluation of Maternal and Child Health Care Networks (IARAMI), adapted from the Evaluation Tool of Health Care Networks. The validation process comprised face and construct validation. The methodology used for face validation included the conceptual and semantic adaptation of the instrument and analysis by a panel of experts, through the modified consensus e-Delphi technique. After face validation, IARAMI was applied in a sample of 99 health managers of municipalities in the state of Paraná. The construct validation was conducted through the internal consistency analysis using Cronbach’s alpha coefficient and factorial analysis. The factorial analysis technique was applied to each of the dimensions of the instrument, enabling the analysis of communalities. The results showed that IARAMI presented reliability and validity, proving to be a tool that can help managers and health workers in the planning, management, and evaluation of the degree of integration of the maternal and child care network.

Key words:
Health systems; Health care; Health evaluation