Health

The aim of this study is to determine the cultural adequateness of the Arabic version of the Care Dependency Scale (CDS), an internationally used instrument to measure care needs by either self-reports or external assessment. Method: A Delphi study in two rounds about the Arabic version was performed with 37 panelists in Cairo. Acceptance of CDS items was rated on a 4-point Likert-type scale. Results: Agreement among panelists in the second round was found for 11 CDS items, but 2 items had decreased acceptance after rephrasing and 2 were rejected. Discussion: Rejected items seem to reflect a heterogeneous perception in the target population. Despite some limitations, the CDS is a promising instrument to detect care needs among older Egyptians.

Title. The meaning of care dependency as shared by care givers and care recipients: a concept analysis Aim. This paper is a report of a concept analysis to identify a meaning of care dependency that can be shared by both care givers and care recipients. Background. Care dependency can be perceived from the care recipient's and the care giver's perspective. To allow for comparisons, both sides should share the same understanding of the concept. The current research about care dependency has focused on external assessment by nurses and suffers from a tendency to use the concept with different meanings. As a consequence, research on dependency may capture different phenomena. Method. Walker and Avant's method for concept analysis served as the guideline for this study. The Medline, CINAHL and Cochrane databases were searched for the period 1996-2006 using the terms dependence, dependency, care dependence and care dependency. Results. Care dependency can be defined as a subjective, secondary need for support in the domain of care to compensate a self-care deficit. Functional limitations are a necessary antecedent and unmet needs are a possible consequence of care dependency. The conceptual difference between care dependency, functional limitations and unmet needs may be meaningless for study participants. They may better understand these differences if they are asked about all three phenomena in the same investigation. Conclusion. Care givers and care recipients can agree on the suggested attributes of care dependency but may judge them in different ways. Self-assessed care dependency has the potential to challenge preconceptions of care givers about care dependency.

Aim. The aim of this study was to determine the validity and reliability of the modified Arabic Care Dependency Scale for selfassessment of older persons in Egypt and to compare these self-assessments to proxy assessments by care givers and family members. Background. The Care Dependency Scale is an internationally used instrument to measure care dependency. The Arabic version may improve data collection on this phenomenon in the Middle East where the population is ageing. Design. A cross-sectional study with a sample of 611 older persons living in Greater Cairo. Participants belonged to three groups: nursing home residents, home care recipients and non-care recipients; 459 participants were also rated by proxies and 171 repeated their self-assessment after two weeks. Methods. The correlation between sum scores of the Care Dependency Scale and the Activities of Daily Living scale was calculated to establish criterion validity. Construct validity was determined by comparing care recipients and non-care recipients with regard to their Care Dependency Scale sum scores and by exploratory factor analysis. Intraclass coefficients were used to assess test-retest reliability of self-ratings for each item. Mean differences between self and proxy assessment were calculated. Results. The Care Dependency Scale had a strong correlation to the Activities of Daily Living scale and is able to distinguish between care recipients and non-care recipients. Factor analysis revealed one factor for basic needs and one factor for psychosocial needs. ICC values were >0AE7 for most items related to the factor for basic needs among care recipients. Proxy assessment yielded higher care dependency than self assessment. Conclusion. Care Dependency Scale items for basic needs are suitable to assess care dependency among Egyptian care recipients. Relevance to clinical practice. Assessment of care dependency is useful to obtain data for appropriate resource allocation among care recipients.

The aim of this study is to determine the cultural adequateness of the Arabic version of the Care Dependency Scale (CDS), an internationally used instrument to measure care needs by either self-reports or external assessment. Method: A Delphi study in two rounds about the Arabic version was performed with 37 panelists in Cairo. Acceptance of CDS items was rated on a 4-point Likert-type scale. Results: Agreement among panelists in the second round was found for 11 CDS items, but 2 items had decreased acceptance after rephrasing and 2 were rejected. Discussion: Rejected items seem to reflect a heterogeneous perception in the target population. Despite some limitations, the CDS is a promising instrument to detect care needs among older Egyptians.

Title. The meaning of care dependency as shared by care givers and care recipients: a concept analysis Aim. This paper is a report of a concept analysis to identify a meaning of care dependency that can be shared by both care givers and care recipients. Background. Care dependency can be perceived from the care recipient's and the care giver's perspective. To allow for comparisons, both sides should share the same understanding of the concept. The current research about care dependency has focused on external assessment by nurses and suffers from a tendency to use the concept with different meanings. As a consequence, research on dependency may capture different phenomena. Method. Walker and Avant's method for concept analysis served as the guideline for this study. The Medline, CINAHL and Cochrane databases were searched for the period 1996-2006 using the terms dependence, dependency, care dependence and care dependency. Results. Care dependency can be defined as a subjective, secondary need for support in the domain of care to compensate a self-care deficit. Functional limitations are a necessary antecedent and unmet needs are a possible consequence of care dependency. The conceptual difference between care dependency, functional limitations and unmet needs may be meaningless for study participants. They may better understand these differences if they are asked about all three phenomena in the same investigation. Conclusion. Care givers and care recipients can agree on the suggested attributes of care dependency but may judge them in different ways. Self-assessed care dependency has the potential to challenge preconceptions of care givers about care dependency.

Aim. This paper is a report of a concept analysis to identify a meaning of care dependency that can be shared by both care givers and care recipients. Background. Care dependency can be perceived from the care recipient’s and the care giver’s perspective. To allow for comparisons, both sides should share the same understanding of the concept. The current research about care dependency has focused on external assessment by nurses and suffers from a tendency to use the
concept with different meanings. As a consequence, research on dependency may capture different phenomena. Method. Walker and Avant’s method for concept analysis served as the guideline for this study. The Medline, CINAHL and Cochrane databases were searched for
the period 1996–2006 using the terms dependence, dependency, care dependence and care dependency. Results. Care dependency can be defined as a subjective, secondary need for support in the domain of care to compensate a self-care deficit. Functional limitations are a necessary antecedent and unmet needs are a possible consequence of care dependency. The conceptual difference between care dependency, functional limitations and unmet needs may be meaningless for study participants. They may better understand these differences if they are asked about all three phenomena in the same investigation. Conclusion. Care givers and care recipients can agree on the suggested attributes of care dependency but may judge them in different ways. Self-assessed care dependency has the potential to challenge preconceptions of care givers about care dependency.