Validation of an audit instrument for the Unified Health System

Abstract

Objective  To analyze the validity and reliability of an instrument used for auditing the Unified Health System (SUS).

Methods  Methodological research that used the steps of adaptation of an audit instrument, recommended by the Ministry of Health, Ordinance No. 3410/2013: expert validation of content and reliability testing of the validated instrument.

Results  Regarding the adequacy of the instrument, it originally had 100 items and 32 sub-items, and remained with 55 items, with their respective evaluation criteria, as well as the source of data collection, totaling 165 items of analysis. For validation of this instrument, the experts suggested changes in semantics and content in 77 (46.66%) items. The reliability test presented an agreement index of 0.85 among nurses one and two; 0.82 among nurses one and three; and 0.96 among nurses two and three, with a mean of 0.88, representing an almost perfect inter-rater agreement.

Conclusion  The adequacy of the instrument, based on the current legislation and expert validation, made it concise, clear, and objective, presenting statistical consistency for use in auditing in the SUS, as demonstrated by the reliability test.

Nursing audit; Unified health system; Adaptation; Validation studies