Validation of a clinical case on communicating difficult news in pediatric units

Abstract Objective To build and validate a clinical case on communicating difficult news to families of children hospitalized in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit for use in clinical simulation. Methods Methodological study to elaborate and validate a clinical case with nurses in clinical practice in a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit. The steps proposed by Galdeano et al. were used in its development. Content validation by validator nurses was performed by calculating the Content Validity Index and the modified kappa coefficient. Results To construct the clinical case, a free literature review was performed on the epidemiological profile of children hospitalized in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit and the communication of difficult news. Eleven clinical practice nurses participated in the validation evaluating and giving suggestions to improve the case. The validation had a high level of agreement among participants with an agreement index >0.9 in all items evaluated, characterizing the clinical case as validated and suitable for composing the simulation scenario. Conclusion The constructed and validated clinical case is suitable for composing the simulated practice scenario. It will help improve professionals’ communication skills to deliver difficult news to the families they attend in Pediatric Intensive Care Units.