Assessing satisfaction in simulation among nursing students: psychometric properties of the Satisfaction with Simulation Experience - Italian Version scale

BACKGROUND

The Satisfaction with Simulation Experience scale is a 5-point Likert scale that measures students' satisfaction in medium and high-fidelity simulation scenarios. This study aims at investigating the psychometric properties of the Satisfaction with Simulation Experience - Italian Version scale.

METHODS

A multi-centre cross-sectional study was conducted. The scale was administered to a sample of 266 undergraduate nursing students from two Italian universities after attending a medium- and high-fidelity simulation session in November 2022 and March 2023. Cronbach's alpha coefficient and item-total correlation were sorted out to assess internal consistency and reliability. The test-retest method was used as a measure of scale stability over time as well as the confirmatory factor analysis to verify construct validity.

RESULTS

The Cronbach's alpha value was 0.94 for the overall scale, indicating excellent reliability, and it was 0.84 or higher for each subscales, indicating good reliability. A large correlation coefficient of 0.60 or higher was found between each item and its subscale and between each item and the overall scale score. A medium test-retest correlation coefficient was found for most items (r > 0.30). The confirmatory factor analysis confirmed the factorial structure found in the original study.

CONCLUSIONS

Satisfaction is an important teaching and learning quality indicator along with the achievement of learning outcomes in simulation. The Satisfaction with Simulation Experience - Italian Version scale showed good reliability and validity; therefore, it could be a useful tool to assess simulation impact in Italian nursing students. The extensive utilization of the Satisfaction with Simulation Experience scale, along with its various validated versions, could facilitate assessing satisfaction in simulation across diverse contexts and enable comparisons of findings across studies in different countries.

Contextual Factors Associated With Organizational Learning in Hospitals: An Instrument Development Study

AIM

Develop a valid, reliable research instrument to measure contextual factors associated with organizational learning in hospitals.

BACKGROUND

A valid, reliable instrument for measuring contextual factors associated with organizational learning is needed so nurse leaders and researchers can improve healthcare by facilitating and studying organizational learning.

METHODS

The Organizational Learning in Hospitals model guided development of the Organizational Learning Instrument-Context. Content validity was refined and evaluated through cognitive interviews and expert reviews. The instrument was distributed to direct care nurses in Magnet® hospitals in the United States. Intraclass correlation coefficients validated the use of multi-level analyses. Construct validity was assessed using multi-level confirmatory factor analysis and coefficient omega was used to assess internal reliability.

RESULTS

Participants were 1063 nurses in 120 inpatient units in 11 Magnet® hospitals. Results were as follows: Item-level content validity=0.86-1.0, scale-level content validity=0.95, intraclass correlation coefficients=0.171-0.270, coefficient omega=0.945-0.982, and standardized factors loadings=0.672-0.964. Model fit statistics were: CFI=0.963, TLI=0.961, and RMSEA=0.059.

CONCLUSIONS

Initial testing indicates the Organizational Learning Instrument-Context has adequate levels of reliability, content validity, and construct validity.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT

Hospital leaders and researchers may begin using this instrument to improve and study contextual factors associated with organizational learning in hospital units.

Cross-cultural adaptation and psychometric evaluation of the Slovenian version of the nurse professional competence scale

BACKGROUND

The competency-based approach to the assessment of nursing practice has been adopted as a key policy in the developed world. The continual self-assessment of competence gives nurses the opportunity to reflect on their competencies and has a significant impact on the quality of nursing practice and patient safety. The study was designed to describe the process of cross-cultural adaptation and to assess the psychometric properties of the Slovenian version of a short form of the Nurse Professional Competence scale (NPC-SF) and to evaluate the efficacy of this instrument in a sample of registered nurses.

METHODS

A cross-sectional and validation study was conducted in 425 registered nurses to test the psychometric properties of the Slovenian version of a short form of the scale and to evaluate nurses' professional competence. A multilevel approach was used: Translation, back-translation, language validity, face and content validity, construct validity, and reliability of the Slovenian version of the scale were analysed respectively. Participants completed an online survey, with the data being collected between April and July 2020.

RESULTS

Factor analysis showed that the Slovenian version of the scale could be used in four dimensions explained with 65 % of the variance. Cronbach's α was 0.972. The four-factor model fit the data (RMSEA = 0.083, CFI = 0.731). Self-reported competence was high and rated higher by nurses employed at the tertiary level of healthcare, followed by nurses employed at the secondary and primary, and from social care institutions. Nurses with more years of experience assessed their competence higher.

CONCLUSIONS

The NPC-SF helps understand and identify nurses' self-reported core competencies in clinical settings, thereby providing an important predictor of the professional development of nursing. The Slovenian version of the scale demonstrated acceptable psychometric properties and may be used in research and clinical practice to evaluate nurses' professional competence.