Construction of an instrument to evaluate the quality of hospital care provided in burns units in Brazil: A Delphi study.

Abstract

Providing excellent care to patients with acute burns can result in lower mortality and disability in the long-term. There are no specific instruments to evaluate the quality of care provided at this stage of treatment. This study aims to create an instrument to evaluate the quality of hospital care provided to patients with acute burns in Brazil. The Delphi technique was used to obtain a consensus among experts on which constructs should be incorporated into the instrument. The sample comprised professionals experienced in treating burn victims and subscribed to the Brazilian Society of Burns mailing lists. Each statement was judged on a 5-point Likert scale. A percentage of agreement equal to or higher than 75 % was defined as a consensus. Data were analyzed using content analysis and descriptive summary statistics. The first round obtained responses from 34 experts, with a mean of 11.98 (SD 9.29) years of experience. After three rounds, 106 statements reached consensus for inclusion and served as the basis for the instrument. Our study identified key terms, and consensus was reached on 106 statements; a need to define clear outcome evaluation methods was observed.