Advanced Practice Nursing Competency Assessment Instrument (APNCAI): clinimetric validation.

Area of Science:

• Nursing Science
• Healthcare Management
• Psychometrics

Background:

• Advanced Practice Nursing (APN) roles are expanding globally.
• Standardized competency assessment is crucial for APN role development and quality patient care.
• The Spanish context required a validated instrument for APN competency evaluation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and clinimetrically validate the Advanced Practice Nursing Competency Assessment Instrument (APNCAI).
• To provide a reliable and valid tool for assessing APN competencies in Spain.
• To establish empirical evidence for the instrument's psychometric properties.

Main Methods:

• A systematic development process including literature review and Delphi method with 51 APN experts.
• Clinimetric validation involved 600 nurses in the Balearic Islands public healthcare setting.
• Statistical analyses included exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, and reliability testing.

Main Results:

• The APNCAI demonstrated an eight-factor latent model with adequate fit.
• The factors included Research and Evidence-Based Practice, Leadership, Interprofessional Relationship, Autonomy, Quality Management, Care Management, Teaching, and Health Promotion.
• Reliability and validity evidence supported the instrument's psychometric integrity.

Conclusions:

• The APNCAI is a reliable and valid instrument for assessing APN competencies.
• The instrument is suitable for implementation in Spanish healthcare policy and APN programs.
• This validated tool supports the systematic evaluation of APN workforce capabilities.