Chinese Adaptation of the Nurses Time-Wasters Questionnaire: Reliability and Validity Testing

Effective time management is crucial for nurses, and identifying factors contributing to time-wasting behaviors is a key component of time management. Currently, China lacks validated, standardized tools for assessing time wasters among nurses. This study is designed to adapt the Nurses Time-Wasters Questionnaire into a Chinese version and to evaluate the reliability and validity of this adapted instrument within a population of Chinese nurses.

This cross-sectional study was conducted in China from September to November 2025, recruiting 330 nurses through convenience sampling. The translation process used the forward-backward translation method. Content validity was assessed by consulting 10 experts and calculating I-CVI and S-CVI/Ave values. Construct validity was assessed using exploratory factor analysis (EFA; n = 130) followed by confirmatory factor analysis (CFA; n = 200). Internal consistency reliability was measured with Cronbach's α coefficient. All analyses were conducted in SPSS 27.0 and AMOS 29.0.

All items were retained, with only some items undergoing cultural adaptation modifications. Adequate sampling was indicated by the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) score of 0.960. The data's eligibility for factor analysis was confirmed by the significant Bartlett's test of sphericity (χ² = 1202.469, df = 78, p < 0.001). One factor that explained 63.481% of the total variance was identified using EFA. The single-factor model showed good fit using CFA (χ²/df = 1.226, RMSEA = 0.034, GFI = 0.942, and TLI = 0.991). The total questionnaire's Cronbach's alpha coefficient was 0.956.

The Chinese version of the Nurses Time-Wasters Questionnaire demonstrates good reliability and validity, making it a reliable and effective measurement tool for assessing time-wasting behaviors among clinical nurses in China.