Validation of Clinical Indicators of the Nursing Diagnosis of Ineffective Protection in Adolescents With Cancer

Purpose To validate the clinical indicators of the nursing diagnosis of Ineffective protection in adolescents with cancer based on diagnostic accuracy measurements. Design and Methods Measurements of sensitivity and specificity for the indicators were calculated using latent class analysis with random effects in a sample of 127 adolescents between 10 and 19 years of age. Results The prevalence of diagnosis was estimated at 93.7%. The indicators deficient immunity and weakness showed higher sensitivity values, whereas opportunistic infections, recurrent infections, insomnia, mucosal lesions, and coughing showed high specificity. Conclusions Seven indicators were clinically validated. Practice Implications The validation of clinical indicators provides nurses with the knowledge of useful signs and symptoms to identify early spectra of a nursing diagnosis or confirm their presence in a specific population. In clinical practice, this knowledge contributes to an accurate diagnostic inference and the planning of nursing interventions directed to the idiosyncrasies of individuals.