Tradução e adaptação da Phlebitis Scale para a população portuguesa

Background: The use of a scale such as the Phlebitis Scale is recommended to assess phlebitis since it allows standardizing the assessment and documenting care effectiveness. Objectives: To translate, adapt, and assess the psychometric properties of the Phlebitis Scale for the Portuguese population. Methodology: Methodological study of translation and assessment of the psychometric properties of the Phlebitis Scale in a nonprobability sample with 110 patients using 526 peripheral venous catheters. An exploratory factor analysis was performed with Varimax rotation in principal components for analyzing the construct validity and internal consistency of the scale using Cronbach's alpha coefficient. Results: A 35.5% of phlebitis incidence was observed. The factor analysis revealed 2 levels of severity, with the first grade explaining 41.5% of variance. Internal consistency was .78 and .90. Conclusion: The Escala Portuguesa de Flebite (Portuguese Phlebitis Scale) showed linguistic equivalence to the original and adequate internal consistency for assessing phlebitis. However, a new scale structure is proposed to improve the interpretation and identification of the grades of phlebitis.