Developing and validating the Earthquake-Related Crush Syndrome Knowledge Scale using tetrachoric and Rasch analyses

Area of Science:

• Disaster Medicine
• Nursing Education
• Surgical Nursing

Background:

• Earthquake fatalities often result from trauma and entrapment, leading to crush syndrome.
• Crush syndrome is a critical determinant of mortality and morbidity following entrapment.
• Assessing healthcare providers' knowledge is vital for effective disaster response.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a scale measuring pediatric surgical nurses' knowledge of earthquake-related crush syndrome.
• To provide a reliable instrument for evaluating preparedness in disaster scenarios.

Main Methods:

• Methodological study involving 77 pediatric surgical nurses.
• Data collection using a form and a 30-item draft scale.
• Validation through content and construct analysis (Tetrachoric factor analysis, Rasch analysis).
• Reliability assessment using Kuder-Richardson Formula 20 and person reliability coefficient.

Main Results:

• The Earthquake-Related Crush Syndrome Knowledge Scale achieved a Content Validity Index of 0.99.
• Factor analysis identified two subdimensions (9 items initially, refined to 7 by Rasch analysis).
• Confirmatory factor analysis showed acceptable to excellent fit; reliability coefficients were high (0.90 and 0.88).
• Rasch analysis indicated acceptable fit statistics, though person reliability was low (0.433).

Conclusions:

• The developed scale shows promising validity and reliability for assessing pediatric surgical nurses' knowledge.
• This instrument can aid in identifying knowledge gaps and informing training for disaster preparedness.