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A Pilot Study: Testing of the Psychological Conditions Scale Among Hospital Nurses
Donna M Fountain1, Charlotte Thomas-Hawkins
1Author Affiliations: Associate Professor (Dr Fountain), Harriet Rothkopf Heilbrunn School of Nursing, Long Island University Brooklyn, New York; and Adjunct Professor, School of Nursing, Kean University, Union, New Jersey; and Alumnus Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Newark; and Graduate Fellow Nurse Faculty Scholar, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation; Associate Professor and Director (Dr Thomas-Hawkins), Center for Healthcare Quality, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Newark.
Objective:
The aim of this study was to test the reliability and validity of the Psychological Conditions Scale (PCS), a measure of drivers of engagement in hospital-based nurses.
Background:
Research suggests drivers of engagement are positive links to patient, employee, and hospital outcomes. Although this scale has been used in other occupations, it has not been tested in nursing.
Methods:
A cross-sectional, methodological study using a convenience sample of 200 nurses in a large Magnet® hospital in New Jersey.
Results:
Cronbach's α's ranged from .64 to .95. Principal components exploratory factor analysis with oblique rotation revealed that 13 items loaded unambiguously in 3 domains and explained 76% of the variance. Mean PCS scores ranged from 3.62 to 4.68 on a 5-point Likert scale.
Conclusions:
The scale is an adequate measure of drivers of engagement in hospital-based nurses. Leadership efforts to promote the facilitators of engagement are recommended.
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