A scale for measuring nursing digital application skills: a development and psychometric testing study.

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Informatics
• Nursing Education
• Digital Health Transformation

Background:

• Digitization is advancing healthcare systems, requiring nurses to have digital skills.
• Existing tools to assess nurses' digital application skills are limited.
• Developing a reliable assessment tool is crucial for quality digital healthcare.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop the Nursing Digital Application Skill Scale (NDASS).
• To evaluate the psychometric properties of the NDASS.
• To provide a tool for assessing nurses' digital competencies.

Main Methods:

• Scale development in three phases: item pool creation, expert content validation, and focus group pretesting.
• Psychometric testing on 429 registered nurses using item analysis, EFA, and CFA.
• Reliability assessment via internal consistency and test-retest methods.

Main Results:

• The final NDASS includes 12 items with a content validity index of 0.975.
• Convergent validity (AVE=0.694) and composite reliability (0.964) met requirements.
• A single-factor structure explained 74.794% of variance, with excellent model fit.
• High internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha=0.968) and good test-retest reliability (0.740).

Conclusions:

• The NDASS demonstrates adequate psychometric properties.
• It is a reliable and effective instrument for self-assessment of digital skills by nurses.
• The scale can guide nursing managers in developing targeted digital skill training programs.