Development of Perceived Technological Competency as Caring in Healthcare Providers Instrument (TCCHI): A Modified...

Background/Objectives: This study aimed to develop the Technological Competency as Caring in Healthcare Providers Instrument (TCCHI) for multidisciplinary use, based on Locsin's theory of Technological Competency as Caring in Nursing. Methods: A content validation design employing a modified Delphi technique was conducted with a multidisciplinary panel of 10 healthcare experts (recruited by purposive sampling based on expertise in technology/caring). The preliminary 67-item pool was derived from a literature review and theoretical alignment. Two Delphi rounds were implemented to establish face and content validity. Qualitative feedback from Round 1 guided item refinement for Round 2. The Wilcoxon matched-pairs signed-rank test was used to confirm the response stability between rounds. Results: Among the 67 initial items, 38 were retained after two Delphi rounds, achieving an I-CVI of 0.80-0.90. Response stability was established (p > 0.05). The resulting 38 items were categorized into six refined concepts reflecting the integration of technology and caring. Inter-rater consistency, assessed by the Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC), was moderate (Round 1 ICC = 0.49; Round 2 ICC = 0.50), suggesting initial variability among the multidisciplinary panel. Conclusions: The TCCHI is a comprehensive and theoretically grounded instrument applicable across diverse healthcare disciplines. However, the moderate inter-rater consistency suggests that further empirical validation is required. Further psychometric evaluation, including confirmatory factor analysis and internal consistency reliability testing, is required to establish construct validity and strengthen the instrument's applicability in diverse healthcare settings.