[Translation and validity testing of the Self-Assessment of Nursing Informatics Competencies Scale]

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Digital Health
• Health Informatics

Background:

• Digital competencies are vital for contemporary nursing.
• No validated instrument existed for assessing nursing students' digital skills in German-speaking regions.
• This study adapted and validated the Self-Assessment of Nursing Informatics Competencies Scale.

Purpose of the Study:

• To culturally adapt and validate the Self-Assessment of Nursing Informatics Competencies Scale for German-speaking nursing students.
• To provide a reliable tool for assessing digital competence in nursing education.

Main Methods:

• Translation and cultural adaptation following International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcome Research guidelines.
• Content validity assessed via expert review (n=20) using the Content Validity Index.
• Construct validity evaluated through principal component analysis and internal consistency analysis (Cronbach's alpha, Spearman-Brown coefficient) in 140 nursing students.

Main Results:

• Principal component analysis confirmed a three-factor model (Basic Computer Skills, Role, Applied computer skills: clinical informatics), explaining 63.86% of variance.
• High internal consistency was found for two subscales (α=.92; ρ=.77), and moderate for the third (α=.58).
• Known-groups analysis supported construct validity by showing significant score differences between students needing and not needing additional computer training.

Conclusions:

• The German version of the Self-Assessment of Nursing Informatics Competencies Scale is a valid instrument for assessing nursing students' self-perceived digital competence.
• This validated scale can be used to quantitatively evaluate the teaching and learning of digital competencies in nursing education within German-speaking countries.