Psychometrics of the Persian version of Program in Palliative Care Education and Practice Questionnaire (German Revised - PPCEP-GR)

Abstract

Background In order to improve the provision of palliative care by nurses, it is necessary to have a tool that measures different dimensions of palliative care and the knowledge and performance of nurses in this field. The Program in Palliative Care Education and Practice Questionnaire (German Revised) is psychometrically evaluated for the first time in Iran. Methods To measure the psychometric properties of the tool, 360 nursing students (BSc, MSc, PhD) and clinical nurses completed the questionnaire. Validity of the tool was checked and quantitative and qualitative face validity of the tool was done by the target group. Then, content validity was evaluated by quantitative and qualitative methods (CVR-CVI) based on the opinions of the panel of experts. Construct validity of the instrument was performed with exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis (EFA-CFA). The reliability of the instrument was evaluated using Cronbach's alpha and calculating Composite reliability and Omega coefficient. Results After conducting construct validity and factor analysis. 4 factors (Knowledge and skill of managing patients' pain and symptoms, Management of ethical and psychological issues in patients, communicating with patients and their families & Management of patients' exposure to grief and attitudes towards death) were extracted from the tool. The total variance was equal to (%43) and Cronbach's alpha coefficient and Composite reliability for factors fluctuated between (0.721–0.891) and (0.702–0.903). Conclusion Persian version of the Program in Palliative Care Education and Practice Questionnaire (German Revised Version; PPCEP-GR) is a valid and reliable tool that can be used to measure the knowledge and performance of nurses and nursing graduates in the field of palliative care.