Brazilian questionnaire of competencies of oncology nurses: Construction and test of content validation

This study aimed to describe construction and content validation of the Brazilian Questionnaire of Competencies of Oncology Nurses.

The methodological research was constructed based on the literature and observation in Brazilian hospitals searching to identify local evidence in the nursing practice. After, the construction of the 30 items distributed in eight sub-dimensions of competencies, the instrument was tested the content validation by 7 experts and 61 oncology nurses. Item responses were analyzed through content validity index and Cronbach's α were used in this test pilot.

The content validity index of the scale was 0.90, and the content validity index of each item was 0.80-1.00. The mean of items varied between 4.98 (standard deviation = 0.13) and 4.70 (standard deviation = 0.53). The Cronbach's α of the instrument was 0.77. The Cronbach's α if each item was excluded ranged from 0.78 to 0.74, indicating consistency between items.

The instrument is concise and clear, resulting in a valid content on test pilot in conducting a self-assessment the oncology nurses. It can be used to facilitate decision-making by identifying sub-dimensions that require attention in nursing education to improve patient care.