Development and Validation of a Scale to Assess the Quality of Life among Caregivers of Patients with Traumatic Brain Injury

Background and Aim: Primary caregivers are responsible for providing most of the patient's care and handle the majority of daily decision-making tasks. They also tend to engage in various types of assistance. This study aimed to create and validate a measurement tool to evaluate the quality of life (QOL) of caregivers of individuals with traumatic brain injury (TBI). These caregivers experience significant physical and psychological pain when managing TBI patients. Materials and Methods: The “Care Fit Self-Care Scale” was developed in two stages. In Stage 1, conceptualization, domain identification, and item generation were carried out. In Stage 2, expert reviews and content validity assessments were conducted, followed by item modification. The content validity index (CVI) was calculated, and the scale’s reliability was analyzed using item-total correlation and Cronbach’s alpha. Results: The scale consisted of 15 items which were analyzed by experts and respondents, and their views were included. An analysis of the average relevance ratings provided by the 10 experts revealed a CVI score of 0.833. Item-total correlation was observed with a value >0.30, and the overall Cronbach’s alpha was found to be 0.890. Conclusions: This study showed that the domains used in this scale would be beneficial to assess the caregivers’ QOL, pain, and psychological state while attending TBI patients throughout the study period. This research aims to improve the QOL for caregivers of individuals with TBIs by promoting their physical fitness and well-being.