Construction and validation of educational material for patients undergoing colorectal cancer surgery: a psychometric study

Abstract Background Health literacy consists of a patient’s ability to obtain and interpret basic health information to make appropriate decisions. Actions to promote health literacy can contribute to prevent factors associated with colorectal cancer and assist in the guidance and recovery process of surgical patients, while the use of educational materials validated by experts and the target audience can facilitate health learning. In this context, the aim of this study was to create and to validate educational material for patients undergoing colorectal cancer surgery. Methods A psychometric study to construct and analyze validity evidence of educational material for patients undergoing colorectal cancer surgery, developed from October 2022 to May 2023, in two stages. The content and design of the educational material was developed in stage one. Then, the validation process occurred in stage two by specialist professionals and assessment by patients who underwent colorectal surgery. Specialist nurses answered the Health Educational Content Validation instrument for content validation. The assessment was performed by post-operative colorectal surgery patients using the Suitability Assessment of Materials (SAM) instrument. The patients’ reliability estimate was calculated using Cronbach’s alpha and the analysis of agreement between the judges using the Content Validity Ratio (CVR). Results The educational material was called “Patient Guide - Colorectal Surgery”, consisting of 24 pages and 14 topics, covering the preoperative period, hospital admission and postoperative care. Validation with expert judges included six nursing professionals, with an agreement rate above 80%, mainly in the relevance and objective domains. Assessment by patients included 11 individuals, the majority (45.45%) undergoing rectosigmoidectomy. All domains in the SAM instrument analysis presented a superior or adequate score, with an overall reliability of α = 0.89 indicating adequate consistency and coherence. Conclusions The educational material was considered valid and suitable for use in patients undergoing colorectal surgery, and can be used intra- and extra-hospital by health professionals and help promote the surgical patient to become a protagonist in their self-care. Clinical trial number. Not applicable.