Development and evaluation of a scale to measure nurses' unsafe driving behaviour while commuting

Area of Science:

• Occupational Health
• Transportation Safety
• Psychology

Background:

• Driving is a primary commute method but carries significant risks, with nurses facing higher accident rates.
• Unsafe commuting driving behaviors among nurses are understudied, and measurement tools are lacking.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify unsafe driving behaviors specific to nurses during their commute.
• To develop and validate a reliable scale for assessing nurses' unsafe commuting driving behaviors.

Main Methods:

• A multiphase, multimethod approach was used, including the Nominal Group Technique (NGT) for theme identification.
• Content, face, and predictive validity were established through expert review and statistical analyses (EFA, CFA).
• Data were collected from 442 nurses across multiple hospital sites.

Main Results:

• Six key themes of unsafe commuting driving behaviors were identified: violations/reckless driving, negative emotions, drowsy driving, mind wandering, errors, and carelessness.
• The developed MyUDWC scale demonstrated adequate validity and reliability.
• Statistical analyses confirmed the scale's structure and predictive validity.

Conclusions:

• Unsafe driving behaviors among commuting nurses have been identified.
• The MyUDWC scale is a validated and suitable instrument for measuring nurses' unsafe commuting driving behaviors.
• This tool can aid in developing targeted interventions to improve commuter safety for nurses.