Reliability and Validity of the Turkish Version of Respiratory Distress Observation Scale in Palliative Care Patients: A Prospective Cross-Sectional Study

Objective: This study aimed to translate, culturally adapt and validate the Respiratory Distress Observation Scale (RDOS) for use with patients in the terminal phase. Methods: Eighty critically ill patients participated in this prospective, cross-sectional study. We assessed the language equivalence, reliability, and validity of the Turkish version of the RDOS. Relative reliability was determined using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). To evaluate consistency between clinical measurements taken by two different clinicians, we employed Bland-Altman plots and type II regression. Convergent validity was analysed by examining correlations with the Visual Analog Scale for Dyspnea (VAS-D) and oxygen saturation (SpO₂). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were utilised to estimate sensitivity and specificity. Results: The RDOS-T items demonstrated excellent ICC values, ranging from 0.883 to 0.983. The scale showed reproducibility, with upper and lower limits of agreement at 2.148 and −2.423, respectively. A strong positive correlation was found between RDOS-T and VAS-D, while a moderate negative correlation existed between RDOS-T and SpO₂. ROC curve analysis revealed an area under the curve of 0.788 (p = .005). It was found that the model had moderate discriminant validity. It also demonstrates its significant distinctiveness. Conclusion: The RDOS-T is a valid and reliable tool for assessing respiratory distress in this study aims to evaluate the reliability and validity of the RDOS in patients during the terminal phase.