Development and psychometric evaluation of perceived clinical nurses' professional dignity scale: a...

Area of Science:

• Nursing Science
• Healthcare Professionalism
• Psychometric Evaluation

Background:

• Professional dignity is a growing concept in nursing.
• A need existed for a validated scale to measure nurses' professional dignity.
• This study aimed to develop and psychometrically evaluate the Perceived Clinical Nurses' Professional Dignity Scale (PCNPDS).

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a scale measuring perceived professional dignity among clinical nurses.
• To evaluate the psychometric properties, including validity and reliability, of the developed scale.

Main Methods:

• An exploratory sequential mixed-methods design was employed in Iran.
• Item generation involved hybrid concept analysis, followed by item reduction through psychometric evaluation.
• Validity, reliability, interpretability (ceiling/floor effects), and stability (ICC, SEM) were assessed.

Main Results:

• The initial 68 items were reduced to a 22-item scale after rigorous validity and reliability testing.
• Factor analysis identified three key factors: organizational dignity, dignity-based competency, and dignity-based appreciation, explaining 47.55% of the variance.
• High reliability was confirmed with Cronbach's alpha (0.90) and McDonald's omega (0.89), alongside excellent stability (ICC=0.96).

Conclusions:

• The 22-item PCNPDS is a valid and reliable instrument.
• The scale is suitable for measuring professional dignity among clinical nurses in Iran.
• This tool can aid in understanding and promoting professional dignity within the nursing profession.