Development of a clinical nurse recognition scale for female intimate partner violence patients

We aimed to develop a Recognition Scale for Female Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) Patients (RS-FIPVP); measure the levels and clarify the structure of IPV recognition among clinical nurses; and confirm the validity and reliability of the scale.

A cross-sectional, anonymous, self-administered questionnaire was administered to clinical nurses (n = 2570) at seven clinical settings in Okinawa, Japan. As a result, 1855 valid responses were obtained and used in the analysis. The statistical analysis examined an exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, internal consistency, and construct validity.

Four factors, comprising 20 items, were extracted for IPV recognition among clinical nurses. The confirmatory factor analysis showed that the indices of fitness supported these results. The Cronbach's alpha coefficient was 0.83 for the total score and 0.71, 0.73, 0.74, and 0.71 for Factors 1, 2, 3, and 4, respectively. Four factors were extracted from the oblique factor analysis, with a cumulative variance of 50.0%: "understanding of the victim's situation", "violence that is difficult to detect", "patient characteristics", and "support and coordination". The four factors had a moderate correlation (0.27-0.47, P < 0.01) with each other, which indicated construct validity. These findings confirmed fit for the RS-FIPVP.

The RS-FIPVP, a recognition scale to measure and evaluate the recognition of female IPV patients among clinical nurses, was developed. It may be used to improve the recognition of female IPV patients in nursing continuing education and also to measure and evaluate educational interventions. The reliability and validity of the scale were verified; however, further refining, testing, and evaluation are required.