Construct validity of acute morbidity as a novel outcome for emergency patients

OBJECTIVES: Validation of acute morbidity as a novel outcome in emergency medicine. METHODS: Construct validity of acute morbidity was established by comparison to other outcomes using linear and logistic regression models. RESULTS: Data of 4608 patients were analysed. 1869 patients (40.6%) fulfilled the criteria for acute morbidity. Using multivariate analyses, acute morbidity was associated with outcomes such as hospitalisation (OR: 11, 95%-CI 9–13), mortality (OR 15, 95%-CI 6–49), and ICU admission (OR: 46, 95%-CI 25–96). Reliability of the construct “acute morbidity” was estimated using Cohens Kappa, which was 0.96 for intra-rater and 0.94 for inter-rater reliability. CONCLUSION: Reliability of the framework for acute morbidity was high. Construct validity was shown by associations with hospitalisation, mortality, and ICU admission.