Validity and reliability of Japanese version of the pressure ulcer knowledge assessment tool

To develop Japanese version of the pressure ulcer knowledge assessment tool, a tool for measuring nurses' pressure ulcer knowledge to effectively evaluate the efficacy of current educational programs, resulting in prevention and early treatment, and to verify its validity and reliability among Japanese nurses.

A total of 1716 nurses across three university hospitals participated in this study. All had been employed for at least one year. Managers, part-timers, and those in the operating room and the outpatient ward were excluded from the study as it is limited to bedside preventive care. The original tool was translated into Japanese using the Brislin's translation model. A cross-sectional study was used to examine the reliability and validity of the measure within a Japanese sample. Assessment of the multiple-choice test items included analysis of the validity (item difficulty and discriminating index), construct validity, internal consistency, and stability (test-retest reliability).

The item difficulty indices ranged from 0.17 to 0.95, whereas values for item discrimination ranged from 0.15 to 0.45. Known group validity of the scale was confirmed; therefore, the higher-expertize group consisting of wound, ostomy, and continence nurses significantly outperformed nurses certified in other fields. The overall internal consistency reliability was 0.86 with a two-week test-retest intraclass correlation of 0.60.

The instrument may be applied as a reliable and valid measure to assess nurses' pressure ulcer knowledge in the fields of nursing education, research, and practice in Japan.