Translation and Preliminary Validation of the Oncology Acuity Tool-French (for Switzerland).

Background and Purpose: Few tools exist to measure real-time patient demands for care and match them with the supply of available nurses. We translated the Oncology Acuity Tool into a French version (for Switzerland) and conducted preliminary validation. Methods: The setting was two French-speaking Swiss hospitals. Methods included translation and harmonization by experts. Content validity was assessed among nine oncology nurses. Inter-rater reliability was evaluated based on case studies. Results: Content validity results met or exceeded pre-set cut-points and inter-rater reliability results were moderate. Several indicators were changed, added or removed. Conclusion: The Swiss tool may improve real-time estimates of patients' nursing care needs and assist with efficient resource allocation. Additional validation studies are recommended.