Development and validation of a medicaid postpartum tubal sterilization knowledge questionnaire

Background: We sought to describe the development and validation of the Postpartum Tubal Sterilization Knowledge Questionnaire (PTSK-Q), a survey designed to assess Medicaid recipients' understanding of the postpartum tubal sterilization process. Study Design: Initially, the investigators generated a list of 17 potential items to include in the PTSK-Q. Eleven content experts reviewed two drafts of the PTSK-Q and provided qualitative and quantitative assessments. Eight women completed a field test to determine suitability and clarity of individual PTSK-Q items, while 26 women completed a pilot test to determine internal consistency and test-retest reliability of the PTSK-Q. The Flesch Reading Ease (FRE) was used to assess reading grade level of the PTSK-Q. Results: Seven items were rated as "essential" (content validity ratio=p<.05) by content experts and composed the final PTSK-Q. Internal consistency, using Kuder Richardson-20, was 0.68. Test-retest reliability, using intraclass correlation coefficient, was 0.93. The FRE score of the PTSK-Q was 85.14 (sixth reading grade level). Conclusions: The PTSK-Q is a valid, readable and reliable knowledge assessment instrument for assessing understanding of postpartum sterilization and Medicaid sterilization consent requirements. (C) 2007 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.