Testing the validity and reliability of the Korean nursing surveillance scale: a methodological study

Area of Science:

• Nursing
• Healthcare Quality
• Patient Safety

Background:

• Nursing surveillance is critical for patient safety.
• A validated scale is needed to measure nursing surveillance specific to Korean nurses' roles.
• This study addresses the need for a culturally relevant nursing surveillance tool.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a scale measuring nursing surveillance among Korean nurses.
• To ensure the scale reflects the unique aspects of nursing surveillance in South Korea.
• To provide a reliable and valid instrument for assessing nursing surveillance practices.

Main Methods:

• Literature review and interviews informed preliminary item development.
• Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) were used for psychometric testing.
• The study involved two surveys with a total of 439 Korean nurses in acute care settings.

Main Results:

• Exploratory Factor Analysis identified 16 items across four factors, explaining 70.1% of variance.
• Confirmatory Factor Analysis confirmed the model's acceptable fit indices.
• The final scale includes four factors: 'anticipation of problems and decision-making', 'systematic assessment', 'recognition of patterns', and 'identification of patient's self-care and coping strategies'.

Conclusions:

• The developed Korean nursing surveillance scale is valid and reliable.
• The scale incorporates Nursing Intervention Classification (NIC) surveillance activities and empirical data from Korean nurses.
• This study provides a foundation for developing similar scales internationally and advancing nursing surveillance research for patient safety.