Objective: construct and validate the content of an instrument to collect data from patients with head and neck cancer (HNC) served in a specialty clinic.
Method: methodological study consisting of four steps. The first step consisted in the preparation of the instrument using databases and the theoretical model of Marjory Gordon. In the second and third steps the content was validated by eight nursing judges. The evaluation used the Content Validity Index (CVI). The fourth step consisted in a pilot test with seventeen HNC patients.
Results: of the 88 questions formulated and organized on the dimensions of structure and process submitted to validation, items with CVI lower than 0.80 were excluded. The final instrument was composed of 56 items, with global CVI calculated as 0.87.
Conclusion: the final instrument presented content validity for data collection in head and neck clinic.