Professional Nursing Communication Competence: Theoretical procedures for instrument development and pilot test

Area of Science:

• Nursing Science
• Healthcare Education
• Instrument Development

Background:

• Effective communication is crucial for patient-centered care and nursing management.
• Existing instruments may not fully capture the nuances of nursing communication within specific contexts.
• Competence-based theoretical procedures are essential for developing reliable measurement tools.

Purpose of the Study:

• To outline the development process of the Professional Nursing Communication Competence instrument.
• To establish the content validity of the newly developed instrument.
• To describe the application and outcomes of a pilot test for the instrument.

Main Methods:

• A methodological study utilizing content-validated theoretical constructs based on 33 communication theories.
• Semantic analysis and expert review were conducted for content validity.
• A three-phase pilot test was implemented before, during, and after simulation-based training.

Main Results:

• The instrument achieved an extremely high agreement rate (Content Validity Index = 0.99).
• Linear regression analysis identified three domains: knowledge (18 items), skills (12 items), and attitudes (16 items) within the 46-item instrument.
• The pilot test demonstrated the instrument's effectiveness in measuring communication competence.

Conclusions:

• The Professional Nursing Communication Competence instrument demonstrates high theoretical reliability for assessing communication contexts and processes.
• The instrument is validated for use in measuring professional nursing communication competence through simulation strategies.
• Nursing educators, managers, and staff can utilize this instrument to improve communication effectiveness, reduce misunderstandings, and minimize healthcare errors.