An international survey of Psychiatric-Mental-Health Nurses on the content validity of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health Core Sets for Schizophrenia

The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) Core Sets for schizophrenia describe the key problems in functioning that are experienced by individuals with this disorder. This study examines the content validity of these Core Sets and aims to identify the most frequent problems faced by people with schizophrenia, considering for this analysis the perspective of Psychiatric-Mental-Health Nurses. The study complied with the COREQ checklist for qualitative studies. A total of 101 nurses from 30 countries covering all six World Health Organization regions participated in a Delphi study. Their responses in Round 1 were linked to ICF categories, retaining those reported by at least 5% of participants. In Round 2, they were asked to rate the relevance of each of these categories to the nursing care of patients with schizophrenia. This process was repeated in Round 3. A total of 2327 concepts were extracted in Round 1 and linked to ICF categories. Following the analysis, 125 categories and 31 personal factors were presented to the experts in rounds 2 and 3. Consensus (defined as agreement >= 75%) was reached for 97 of these categories and 29 personal factors. These categories corresponded to all those (N = 25) in the Brief Core Set and 87 of the 97 categories of the Comprehensive Core Set for schizophrenia. Ten new categories emerged. The Delphi process identified the problems in functioning that nurses encounter when treating individuals with schizophrenia, and the results supported the content validity of the Core Sets. We conclude that these Core Sets offer a comprehensive framework for structuring clinical information and guiding the treatment process.