PREPARATION AND VALIDATION OF THE QUALIAPS DIGITAL-BRAZIL INSTRUMENT FOR ASSESSING DIGITAL HEALTH CARE QUALITY IN PRIMARY HEALTH CARE
1
FEDERAL UNIVERSITY OF RIO GRANDE DO NORTE, NATAL, Brazil
2
STATE UNIVERSITY OF PARAÍBA, CAMPINA GRANDE, Brazil
3
FEDERAL UNIVERSITY OF CAMPINA GRANDE, CAMPINA GRANDE, Brazil
Popul. Med. 2026;8(Supplement Supplement 1):A905
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
The integration of information and communication technologies in health care requires validated instruments to systematically assess quality and effectiveness.1,2 Despite rapid expansion of digital health in primary health care, consolidated instruments based on scientifically validated evaluation models addressing the Brazilian context remain scarce.3,4 This study aims to formulate and validate a matrix of indicators and design assessment scripts for evaluating digital health care quality in Brazilian primary health care.
METHODS:
This validation study was conducted between January 2022 and June 2023, divided into three phases: instrument preparation, validity analysis, and pilot study.5 The instrument was developed based on Donabedian's framework and the evaluation model for digital health in primary health care.6,7 Validity analysis employed the Delphi technique with 17 digital health experts across two rounds, combined with nominal group consensus and evidence from literature. Content validity index and inter-rater reliability were calculated.8 The pilot study involved audio-recorded interviews with physicians, community health workers, managers, and information technology professionals in Campina Grande, Brazil.
RESULTS:
The validated QualiAPS Digital-Brazil matrix comprises 37 indicators distributed across three components and seven dimensions. Structure includes resources (14 indicators); processes encompasses technical (4 indicators), organizational (6 indicators), and relational (3 indicators) dimensions; results covers short-term (6 indicators) and medium-term (4 indicators). The overall content validity index was 0.89 and inter-rater reliability was 1.00. The pilot study generated five collection scripts: two for physicians and nurses (survey and interview), one focus group script for community health workers, and interview scripts for managers and information technology professionals.
CONCLUSIONS:
The QualiAPS Digital-Brazil instrument was successfully validated regarding relevance, content, and theoretical support. It provides a comprehensive tool for continuous monitoring of digital health performance, enabling identification of strengths and improvement areas while supporting strategic decision-making for enhancing remote primary care delivery to populations in universal health systems.
The integration of information and communication technologies in health care requires validated instruments to systematically assess quality and effectiveness.1,2 Despite rapid expansion of digital health in primary health care, consolidated instruments based on scientifically validated evaluation models addressing the Brazilian context remain scarce.3,4 This study aims to formulate and validate a matrix of indicators and design assessment scripts for evaluating digital health care quality in Brazilian primary health care.
METHODS:
This validation study was conducted between January 2022 and June 2023, divided into three phases: instrument preparation, validity analysis, and pilot study.5 The instrument was developed based on Donabedian's framework and the evaluation model for digital health in primary health care.6,7 Validity analysis employed the Delphi technique with 17 digital health experts across two rounds, combined with nominal group consensus and evidence from literature. Content validity index and inter-rater reliability were calculated.8 The pilot study involved audio-recorded interviews with physicians, community health workers, managers, and information technology professionals in Campina Grande, Brazil.
RESULTS:
The validated QualiAPS Digital-Brazil matrix comprises 37 indicators distributed across three components and seven dimensions. Structure includes resources (14 indicators); processes encompasses technical (4 indicators), organizational (6 indicators), and relational (3 indicators) dimensions; results covers short-term (6 indicators) and medium-term (4 indicators). The overall content validity index was 0.89 and inter-rater reliability was 1.00. The pilot study generated five collection scripts: two for physicians and nurses (survey and interview), one focus group script for community health workers, and interview scripts for managers and information technology professionals.
CONCLUSIONS:
The QualiAPS Digital-Brazil instrument was successfully validated regarding relevance, content, and theoretical support. It provides a comprehensive tool for continuous monitoring of digital health performance, enabling identification of strengths and improvement areas while supporting strategic decision-making for enhancing remote primary care delivery to populations in universal health systems.
| eISSN: | 2654-1459 |
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