Clustering self-efficacy in nutritional care and demographic variables among Italian nurses: A feasibility study

This study aimed to examine the feasibility of applying an exploratory clustering approach to Italian nurses based on their self-efficacy in nutritional care and demographic characteristics and, secondarily, to describe preliminary subgroup patterns that may inform future research. A cross-sectional design was employed, collecting data from 77 nurses in two northern Italian tertiary hospitals. Self-efficacy was assessed using a validated scale, and clustering was performed via hierarchical clustering following data reduction with t-distributed Stochastic Neighbor Embedding (t-SNE). A two-group exploratory solution was retained for interpretation: (1) "Experienced Nurses with Low to Moderate Self-Efficacy" and (2) "Younger and Confident Nurses." Significant differences in age, work experience, and self-efficacy scores were observed between the groups. This study highlights subgroup heterogeneity among nurses and suggests that exploratory subgroup patterns may be relevant for hypothesis generation and future multicenter investigations to enhance self-efficacy in nutritional care. The results provide preliminary evidence supporting the feasibility of this analytic approach and may inform future research aimed at improving nursing performance and nutritional care for older adults.