Reliability of Vital Sign Measurement

Inter-rater reliability between expert observers of vital signs:Comparison of simulation & traditional evaluation methods : 

Inter-rater reliability between expert observers of vital signs:Comparison of simulation & traditional evaluation methods Genevieve M. Thul

Purpose : 

2 Purpose To test the inter-rater reliability between expert nursing faculty performing vital sign and blood pressure measurement on simulated and human subjects.

Hypothesis : 

3 Hypothesis Our hypothesis is that the simulator evaluation will be as sensitive as the traditional method in evaluating the accuracy with which experts measure vital signs and blood pressure.

Specific Aims : 

4 Specific Aims Determine mean and standard deviation of difference between measurements taken by two expert nursing instructors on both human subjects and a Laerdal Simman patient simulator using a dual-headset stethoscope. Examine inter-rater reliability between experts by calculating the level of agreement between the two individual instructor measurements using Altman-Bland plots. Collect data regarding time spent in each measurement process, faculty demographics and costs of simulator for future cost-effectiveness and efficiency analysis comparing the two methods.

Sample : 

5 Sample 4 nursing professors 30 nursing students 1 simulator

Inclusion/exclusion criteria : 

6 Inclusion/exclusion criteria Faculty with > 5 years of experience in clinical teaching, current experience teaching assessment, and valid nursing license Established as experts Students 18 years or older, enrolled at the CON, with an upper arm circumference of 33 cm or less

Data collection : 

7 Data collection REDcap for data capture Real-time access to data both on & off-site Measurements of vital signs Number of minutes spent using each method Faculty demographics Start-up & maintenance costs of simulator

Analysis : 

8 Analysis Descriptive statistics One-tailed t-tests for comparison of difference Altman-Bland plots of agreement between paired evaluator measurements Multiple regression analysis for future cost effectiveness study

Data Management & Safety : 

9 Data Management & Safety Exempt IRB Password-protected SPSS file for data Subject risk is minimal If unsafe vital signs are measured, how should we respond?

Remaining questions : 

10 Remaining questions Over how many days should data be collected? Target journal for publication? Timeline for REDcap instrument development & IRB submission Continued involvement of committee members