Developing and psychometric testing of the anaesthesia nursing competence scale

Area of Science:

• Nursing Science
• Healthcare Quality Improvement
• Patient Safety

Background:

• Nurses' competence in anesthesia care is crucial for high-quality care and patient safety.
• Existing instruments for measuring anesthesia nursing competence lack sufficient psychometric validation.
• This study addresses the need for a reliable and valid tool to assess anesthesia nursing competence.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and psychometrically test the Anesthesia Nursing Competence Scale (AnestComp).
• To provide a validated instrument for assessing nurses' competence in anesthesia care.
• To enhance the quality of anesthesia nursing care and patient safety through accurate competence measurement.

Main Methods:

• Scale development involved literature reviews, expert input, and item creation.
• Content validity was assessed by experts, followed by pilot testing.
• Psychometric properties were evaluated using self-assessments from 222 anesthesia nurses and 205 nursing students, employing Cronbach's alpha for reliability and factor analyses for construct validity.

Main Results:

• The AnestComp comprises 39 items across seven competence areas: ethics, risk care, technology engagement, collaboration, medication management, peri-anesthesia interventions, and knowledge.
• High Cronbach's alpha values (0.83-0.95) indicated strong internal consistency across all categories.
• Factor analyses and known-group technique confirmed a robust seven-factor model, supporting the scale's construct validity.

Conclusions:

• The AnestComp demonstrates acceptable reliability and construct validity.
• The scale is a promising instrument for evaluating anesthesia nursing competence.
• Further validation with larger, diverse samples is recommended to refine the psychometric properties of the AnestComp.