MeTA-Edu: a new methodology for enhancing validation of health education technologies applied to COVID-19 prevention in adults with cancer

Introduction: validated educational technologies favor access to reliable and adequate information, representing a critical risk communication tool for cancer patients during public health emergencies.

Objective: to assess the validity and reliability of an electronic booklet on COVID-19 for adults with cancer.

Methods: methodological validation by a panel of 22 experts linked to Brazil’s national curriculum vitae database. Sampling was performed by convenience, snowball, and selection techniques according to Jasper’s criteria. The validity of the booklet was evaluated by an electronic questionnaire using the content validity index (CVI), intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), the suitability assessment of materials (SAM) instrument, and the metalinguistic thematic analysis for educational technologies (MeTA-Edu) of dissertation proposals.

Results: the expert panel consisted of 22 doctors with homogeneous sociodemographic characteristics, high specialization in education (86.4%), and teaching experience (mean = 17.8 years). In general, the educational technology was validated by experts for content (overall CVI = 0.953) with a high degree of agreement (ICC = 0.958) and suitability of the content, literacy demand, graphics, layout, and typography, learning stimulation and motivation, and cultural appropriateness (SAM = 90.6%). After thematic analysis, 94 dissertation proposals were identified, mainly of the visual language type (47.9%) and referential/informative function (68.1%). Most expert suggestions were accepted (83.0%), and only 17.0% were rejected.

Conclusion: the validity and reliability of the booklet “Uncomplicating COVID-19 for people with cancer” were ratified by experts. These findings can contribute to the methodological optimization of the validation of educational technologies and innovation of health education strategies, subsidizing cancer care in times of crisis.