Communication skills attitude scale: a translation and validation study in asample of registered nurses in Poland

OBJECTIVES: To translate and validate the Communication Skills Attitude Scale in the Polish language (CSAS-P) and its adaptation for use among registered nurses. DESIGN: A cross-sectional descriptive design was used in order to translate and validate the CSAS-P. The following psychometric properties of CSAS-P were evaluated: content validity (content validity index), theoretical relevance (exploratory and confirmative factor analysis), one-dimensionality of subscales (principal component analysis), internal consistency (Cronbach’s α), test–retest reliability and discriminant validity. SETTING: Participants were identified and recruited from the Centre for Postgraduate Education for Nurses and Midwives in Warsaw, Poland. PARTICIPANTS: The validation group comprised 2014 registered nurses who were undertaking a spring specialisation exam in 2017. RESULTS: The overall content validity index was >0.80, which was interpreted as indicating validity. The factor structure of CSAS-P differed from the original version, and removing three items from the scale better fit the data. The positive attitude subscale (11 items) and negative attitude subscale (12 items) were characterised by one-dimensionality and high internal consistency (Cronbach’s α=0.901 and 0.802, respectively). Test–retest analysis confirmed the stability of the measurement for both subscales and particular items. Nurses with prior participation in communication courses scored significantly higher than those without such education (p<0.05), confirming the discriminant validity of CSAS-P. CONCLUSIONS: The psychometric properties of CSAS-P were comparable to the English language original. Further validation of CSAS-P in other groups of healthcare professionals may increase its applicability. CSAS-P can be used to evaluate attitudes towards learning communication skills among registered nurses.