Western Journal of Nursing Research

 

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Western Journal of Nursing Research, Vol. 29, No. 3, 322-337 (2007)
DOI: 10.1177/0193945906293814

Measuring Elders' Symptoms With Daily Diaries and Retrospective Reports

Karen J. Aroian

Wayne State University College of Nursing

Jillon S. Vander Wal

Saint Louis University

The current study investigated the sufficiency of symptom data collected for 7 days from a daily diary and the comparability and validity of data obtained from daily diaries and retrospective reports. Three hundred and five older persons completed a daily symptom diary, a retrospective symptom questionnaire, and a measure of health status. The number of symptoms endorsed each day on the diary declined, F(6, 214) = 13.51, p< .0001. New symptoms were endorsed 15%, and previous symptoms were no longer endorsed 1.9% of the time. More symptoms were endorsed on retrospective reports than on daily diaries, t(304) = 8.48, p < .0001. Symptoms from both methods were significantly correlated with health status (p <.0001) and differences in the correlations were not statistically significant, t(304) = 1.62, p = ns . Because of comparable criterion validity, less burdensome retrospective reports should be used, unless the focus is new symptoms or how symptoms unfold over time.

Key Words: daily diaries • validity • data collection • elders • symptoms


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