Development and Validation of Information Technology Scale in Nursing.

Area of Science:

• Nursing Informatics
• Health Information Technology
• Healthcare Research Methodology

Background:

• Information technology (IT) adoption in patient care is increasing.
• The nursing workforce requires preparedness for IT integration to support patient-centered care.
• The rate of informatics integration into nursing practice lags behind technological advancements, with unclear areas of IT utilization by nurses.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a new instrument for assessing the usage of information technology (IT) in nursing practice.

Main Methods:

• A methodological study involving factor analyses was conducted with 498 registered nurses from a university hospital and primary care centers.
• Data were collected using a questionnaire with demographic characteristics and a 50-item pool.
• Instrument validity and reliability were assessed using statistical tests including Keiser-Meier-Olkin (KMO), Bartlett tests, exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, descriptive statistics, and Cronbach's alpha.

Main Results:

• The developed instrument, "The Information Technology Scale in Nursing," comprises 39 items across eight factors: professional autonomy, data sharing/communication, data management, professional development, administration, research, informing, and classification of interventions.
• These eight factors explained 55% of the variance.
• The instrument demonstrated high reliability (total reliability = 0.936), with a high KMO index (0.936) and a significant Bartlett test of sphericity (p < 0.005).

Conclusions:

• The study provides evidence for the factor structure, internal consistency, reliability, and responsiveness of the 39-item "The Information Technology Scale in Nursing."
• The developed instrument is a valid and reliable tool for measuring IT usage in nursing.
• Further validation with a larger, diverse nursing population across various settings is recommended.