Psychometric properties of the dementia knowledge assessment scale-traditional Chinese among home care workers in Taiwan

BACKGROUND: The Dementia Knowledge Assessment Scale (DKAS) is a reliable and valid measurement of dementia knowledge for diverse allied health professionals but its traditional Chinese version has not been formally validated yet. The purpose of this study was to translate the DKAS from English to traditional Chinese and evaluate its psychometric properties among home care workers in Taiwan. METHODS: The DKAS scale was translated into traditional Chinese through a forward translation and back translation process following the cross-cultural translation guideline. A total of 285 home care workers in eastern Taiwan were recruited using convenience sample. A total of 252 participants completed the questionnaires, giving a response rate of 88.4%. We tested the construct validity by confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and evaluated the reliability by internal consistency. RESULTS: The results of the CFA supported the 25-item, four-factor model for the DKAS-TC. The DKAS-TC achieved a good overall Cronbach’s alpha of .93 and McDonald’s omega of 0.94 with acceptable subscales McDonald’s omega ranged from .77 to .82. CONCLUSIONS: The DKAS-TC has adequate construct validity and reliability and can serve as an assessment tool to evaluate the knowledge level of home care workers in a dementia training program in Taiwan. The dementia knowledge level among home care workers in Taiwan was inadequate. There is a need for developing suitable dementia care training tailored to their learning needs and educational levels, and to improve their quality of care for those with dementia.