Development of the ethical behavior scale in nursing

Abstract

Background Studies about the evaluation of nursing care from the patient’s perspective are becoming more important. Ethic is an essential element in nursing care. Every person deserves to receive nursing care according to ethical principles, regardless of language, religion, race, or gender. In this study aimed to develop an instrument to evaluate the ethical behavior of nurses. Methods The methodological study used a mixed research method designed in accordance with the GRAMMS criteria. Qualitative data was obtained through in-depth interviews. Quantitative data were collected using the Ethical Behavior Scale in Nursing (EBSN). This study was conducted in 4 hospitals (nurses) and 3 health faculty (intern nurses/nursing students) in 2022. There are a total of 714 participants. The construct validity of the scale was evaluated with exploratory factor analyses (EFA) and confirmatory factor analyses (CFA). Cronbach’s alpha and item total analysis established the internal consistency. Pearson correlation was used for the relationship between the total scale and sub-dimensions. Results Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of the EBSN was 0.94. EBSN had 20 items and a five-factor structure which explained 70.45% of the total variance. Principal component analysis and CFA supported the theoretical construct EBSN. Fit measurements (x²/df) was 3.33. Pearson’s correlation coefficient in this data was 0.97. Conclusion The results of the analysis show the items constituting the scale have validity and reliability criteria that can measure the ethical behavior in nursing profession. It is thought that including activities that will enable nurses to gain positive individual and professional values ​​on ethical issues such as patient rights and patient privacy during the education process will also positively affect their ethical sensitivities. Additionally, in order to increase nurses’ ethical awareness, nursing ethics issues should be included in post-graduation continuing education programs. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12912-024-02529-0.