Perceived
Nursing Readiness:
Instrument Development and Field Testing
Pupose:
The
purposes of the study were to advance understanding of
the nature of perceived readiness and evaluate the psychometric
properties of an instrument to estimate perceived readiness
among U.S. Army Nurses. The name of the instrument is
the Readiness Estimate and Deployability Service Nursing
Research Program.
Design:
The
design of the study was descriptive, exploratory instrument
development, building on previous concept clarification.
The 6 scales which were tested were those measuring perceptions
of:
(1) clinical competency
(2) soldier/survival skills
(3) operational competency
(4) personal/physical/psychosocial stress
(5) leadership and administrative support
(6) group identification and integration.
Population/Sample:
An
8-member expert panel with previous deployment experience
established the validity of the initial readiness questionnaire.
The sample size for reliability testing was 93 army nurses.
Method:
Content
validity estimation and internal consistency and test-retest
techniques formed the psychometric evaluation from pilot
administrations.
Data
Analysis: Analysis
of filed administration of the revised READI to three
separate groups of nurses replicated earlier reliability
results. Principle components analyses appear to support
the hypothesized dimensional structure underlying questionnaire
attitude items.
Findings:
The
READI produced psychometrically stable ratings and results.
The expert panel rated each item of the READI an average
of 3.6 on a scale of 1 (low) to 4 (high) on the relevance,
clarity, and uniqueness of each item. The clinical nursing
competency scale has 28 items (r=.71;alpha=.94). The operational
nursing competency scale had 6 dichotomous items (r=.48).
The personal/physical/psychosocial scale had 8 heterogeneous
items (r=.78; alpha=.73). The leadership and administrative
support scale had 4 items (r=.69; alpha=.83). The group
integration and identification scale has 3 dichotomous
items (r=.69; alpha=.72). Descriptive findings were displayed
in a red, amber, green readiness format.
Conclusions
& Recommendations: The
READI is a valid and reliable instrument with which to
estimate perceived readiness. The READI should be used
on a diagnostic basis, formatted for web-enhanced administration,
and expanded to all services in Department of Defense.
Implications:
Perceived
readiness is a construct that can be reliability measured.
Estimating perceived readiness of military nurses can
form an assessment on which to develop training and other
programs to increase readiness.
Period of Study: July
1998 - May 2000
| 
