Background: Assessment of the patient safety competency is necessary for the growth of nursing and safe care profession as well as evaluation of the nurses' educational needs. The present study was conducted to determine psychometric properties of the Persian version of the patient safety competency self-evaluation (PSCSE) tool in Iranian psychiatric wards.

 

Materials and methods: All nurses (n = ۲۰۹) working in two psychiatric hospitals of Kerman, Iran, were included in the present cross-sectional study using census method. This tool contains ۴۱ items: six items are related to knowledge, ۱۴ items deal with attitude, and ۲۱ items are about skill dimension. Psychometric properties of the questionnaire including its content and face validity were also examined. The factor structure of the questionnaire was evaluated using exploratory factor analysis. The internal consistency and reliability were assessed by test-retest method with an interval of ۱۴ days. Cronbach's alpha and corrected item-total correlation were used to measure reliability.

 

Results: The content validity index was ۰.۶۵ and the content validity ratio was ۰.۸۹. Item ۱۴ was removed from the skill domain because it was not related to the psychiatric ward. According to the results of factor analysis, there was a significant relationship between the questions and the relevant factors. The correlation coefficient for test-retest with ۱۴ days interval was intraclass correlation coefficient = ۰.۹۲ for the whole instrument and ۰.۸۹, ۰.۸۹, and ۰.۹۲ for the domains of knowledge, attitude, and skill, respectively. The internal consistency coefficient (Cronbach's alpha) of the whole tool was ۰.۹۵ and ۰.۹۵, ۰.۷۹, and ۰.۹۵ for the domains of knowledge, attitude, and skill, respectively. Finally, PSCSE Questionnaire was obtained with ۴۰ items in dimensions of knowledge (۶ items), attitude (۱۴ items), and skills (۲۰ items).

 

Conclusion: Persian version of the nurses' competency tool in ensuring patient safety in psychiatric wards has acceptable psychometric characteristics.

 

 

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