Background
Nursing handoff is an important nursing task that ensures nursing care continuity, quality and patient safety. Nursing handoff competency refers to the ability of the nurse performing the handoff to select and interpret necessary information for patient care and to relay it efficiently to the nurse accepting the handoff. This study aimed to develop a scale to measure nursing handoff competency and verify its validity and reliability.
Methods
This study adopted a methodological design. A methodological approach was conducted in three phases: (1) scale development through a nursing handoff-related literature review and interviews; (2) construct validity, criterion-related validity, convergent and discrimination validity, and reliability evaluation of the developed scale; (3) standard setting of the scale. Data were collected from 496 clinical nurses currently working in hospital wards, intensive care units, and emergency rooms, and who independently perform a handoff. The validity and reliability of the scale were verified using maximum likelihood exploratory factor analysis with promax factor rotation, confirmatory factor analysis with maximum likelihood estimation, Pearson correlation, Cronbach’s alpha, and Spearman-Brown coefficient. The standard setting of the scale was conducted using the extended Angoff method was used for standard scale setting.
Results
The Nursing Handoff Competency Scale consisted of 25 items of the four factors: “knowledge on handoff methods”, “identification of patient information,” “judgment and transfer of nursing situation,” and “formation of supportive relationships.” The fitness of the scale revealed good results in confirmatory factor analysis. Construct validity, criterion-related validity, convergent validity, and discrimination validities were verified. The reliability test showed that Cronbach’s α of the whole tool was .912 and the split-half reliability was .846. The cut-off score for satisfied/unsatisfied was 72.
Conclusions
The developed scale can evaluate the nurse’s handoff competencies. Additionally, the measurement results can be used to compose the contents of the education program.