The purpose of this study was to develop and test a standardized primary health assessment instrument (SPHAI) that can be used to assess the health problems and care needs of home-bound clients at the primary level. For this, the preeminent experts in the field were identified and, after an intensive literature review, a preliminary instrument was established. The 25 panelists then participated in a three-round Delphi survey method to identify those items that had a content validity index of

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... and over. This led to an instrument composed of 5domains, 19 components, and 43items. This instrument was then reviewed from 316 homecare nurses working for three types of home health care programs in Korea. The nurses assessed the tool in terms of item variation and redundancy, and to determine its internal consistency and reliability. The responses suggested that the SPHAI is suitable for use in all three programs in terms of identifying homebound clients, developing guidelines for evidence-based care, and improving documentation. However, the present study should be regarded as an exploratory study: the feasibility of the SPHAI should be tested by nation-wide empirical studies that are funded by the Korean government. A methodological research study was conducted to construct a SPHAI that is suitable for assessing the health status and care needs of homebound clients of the HCN, VCN, and HHC programs. In addition, the feasibility of the SPHAI was tested by the mail survey.