Development and psychometric evaluation of the symptom cluster assessment scale for adult acute leukaemia patients

Effective symptom management tools are crucial for acute leukaemia patients; however, China currently lacks a disease-specific assessment scale tailored for this population. This study was a methodological study aimed to construct and validate the Symptom Cluster Assessment Scale for Adult Acute leukaemia Patients (SCS-AL) to provide a tool to support the symptom assessment and management of patients with acute leukaemia. This study was conducted in two phases between March 2022 and November 2023. Phase 1 (scale development) involved a systematic literature review, semistructured interviews with patients and healthcare providers, and two rounds of expert consultation. Phase 2 (psychometric evaluation) ifocused on reliability and validity testing using data from 301 patients with acute leukaemia patients. Item analysis, the content validity index (CVI), exploratory factor analysis (EFA), and internal consistency Cronbach’s α were used for comprehensive evaluation The final SCS-AL comprises 28 items across six dimensions, with a cumulative variance contribution rate of 62.815%. The scale demonstrated excellent reliability (Cronbach’s α = 0.864, split-half reliability = 0.782) and validity (I-CVI = 0.80–1.00, S-CVI/Ave = 0.90). The SCS-AL is a reliable and valid tool for assessing symptoms in acute leukaemia patients, addressing clinical needs, and supporting symptom management in nursing practice. Not applicable