The structure of the Italian version of the Practice Environment Scale of the Nursing Work Index

To investigate the factor structure of an Italian translation of the Practice Environment Scale of the Nursing Work Index (PES-NWI).

Italy suffers from high turnover rates, yet validated tools in Italian to study and manage the problem are lacking. The PES-NWI measures aspects of nurses' working environment. This study reports on the translation and investigation of the structure of the translated PES-NWI scale.

A survey was conducted with 3667 nurses from 182 hospitals across 13 Italian regions using the PES-NWI. The structure of this scale was investigated using principal components analysis and other properties, including internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha). Construct validity was investigated using logistic regression.

The Italian translation of the PES-NWI showed a five-factor structure, and Cronbach's alpha of the factors ranged between 0.80 and 0.92. Logistic regression showed that the PES-NWI was positively related to job satisfaction (odds ratio = 10.3; CI 8.62-12.35) and negatively related to intention to leave (odds ratio = 0.14; CI 0.12-0.16).

The original five-factor structure of the PES-NWI was evident in the present study, albeit with some different factor loadings.

The Italian version of the PES-NWI can be used by nurse managers to tackle the workforce issues related to nurses' work environments in a major European country.