Development and psychometric evaluation of nurses' perception towards the gap between knowledge and practice

Area of Science:

• Nursing Research
• Health Professions Education
• Clinical Practice Improvement

Background:

• The gap between nursing knowledge and clinical practice is widely recognized but lacks a standardized measurement tool.
• Existing literature highlights the need for instruments to quantify this discrepancy in healthcare settings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and psychometrically evaluate a novel survey instrument for assessing nurses' perceptions of the knowledge-practice gap.
• To provide a reliable and valid tool for measuring the discrepancy between theoretical knowledge and practical application in nursing.

Main Methods:

• Psychometric analysis of a survey administered to 513 nurses across two major hospitals.
• Content validity assessed by expert panel (content validity index = 0.89).
• Internal consistency and reliability determined using Cronbach's alpha; factor analysis identified key components (knowledge, practice, environment, learning).

Main Results:

• The developed instrument demonstrated strong content validity (CVI=0.89).
• Factor analysis revealed four significant components influencing the knowledge-practice gap.
• High internal consistency and reliability were confirmed via Cronbach's alpha for the scale's items.

Conclusions:

• A psychometrically sound instrument for measuring the nursing knowledge-practice gap has been successfully developed.
• This new scale offers a valuable tool for researchers and healthcare institutions to identify and address the knowledge-practice gap in clinical nursing.
• The findings support the use of this instrument to enhance nursing education and clinical practice.