Psychometric evaluation of the perceived perioperative competence scale-revised among the Chinese operating room nurses: a methodological research

BACKGROUND: Perioperative competence is necessary to evaluate operating room nurses. The Perceived Perioperative Competence Scale-Revised (PPCS-R) is the only available tool developed specifically for the perioperative setting. However, there is a lack of research on the reliability and validity of this scale among Chinese nurses. Thus, the aim of this study is to translate, culturally adapt, and evaluate the psychometric properties of the Perioperative competence Scale-Revised (PPCS-R) among operating room nurses in China. METHODS: Instrument cultural adaptation was carried out through forward translation, back translation, expert panel evaluation and pretesting. The psychometric properties (content validation, item analysis, construct validation, and reliability coefficient) of the Chinese PPCS-R (C-PPCS-R) were examined. An online survey was completed from June to August 2020 by operating room nurses (N = 480) in five third-grade class-A hospitals in Beijing. RESULTS: The item analysis identified six items for scale reduction. Exploratory factor analysis showed the remaining 34 items loaded on six factors, which were named in accordance with the original scale. The six-factor model showed a good fit through confirmatory factor analysis. The item content validity index for the C-PPCS-R items ranged from 0.857 to 1.000, and that for the total scale was 0.875. Cronbach’s alpha was showed 0.787. Together, the six factors explained 68.62% of the variance. CONCLUSIONS: The 34-item C-PPCS-R showed good validity and reliability to measure perceived competence among operating room nurses in the Chinese context. The scale can assist nurse managers to identify operating room nurses’ perceived competence, and provides evaluation criteria for career planning, performance appraisal, job assignment, and continuing education.