The psychometric properties of nursing image measurement instruments: A systematic review

To identify the measures assessing the nursing image, and to analyse, evaluate and synthesize the psychometric properties of these available instruments.

A systematic review of the psychometric properties of instruments assessing the nursing image. The system review has been registered in the PROSPERO database with the registration number CRD42020221511.

The systematic review was conducted according to COSMIN guidelines. Search strategies were run in CINAHL, MEDLINE, APA PsycINFO, Web of Science, Scopus, COSMIN systematic review database, Cochrane Library and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI). Two reviewers independently screened the studies, extracting the psychometric properties of the included study characteristics and instruments. The methodological quality of the studies, instrument measurement performance, risk of bias and grade of evidence were evaluated and disagreements were resolved via discussion.

The search strategy yielded a total of 24 studies and 11 instruments assessing nursing image. None of the measures fulfilled all criteria in the COSMIN Risk of Bias checklist. The Nurses Self-Concept Instrument (NSCI) and the Nurses Self-Concept Questionnaire (NSCQ) were recommended for measuring the professional image of nursing, and the Nursing Brand Image Scale (NBIS) have the potential to be recommended for measuring a more comprehensive image of nursing. Every instrument evaluated in this review had different characteristics in the nursing image (e.g. the traditional image, the professional image, and the brand image). Therefore, the selection of the most appropriate instrument depends on the psychometrics, the context and the aim of the assessment.