Workplace Conflicts Among Emergency Department Nurses: Instrument Development and Psychometric Properties

Background and Purpose: Conflicts in nursing workplace are frequent and can be resolved by individuals or groups. The purpose of this study was to develop a valid and reliable measure for the Workplace Conflicts among Emergency Department Nurses (WCEDN). Methods: A three-stage mixed methods study was conducted: (a) In-depth interviews with emergency department (ED) nurses were performed and themes were extracted from the data (b) Findings of the content analysis in combination with results of a literature review were examined, and preliminary instrument items were developed. The initial instrument comprised 50 items. (c) Content validity, face validity, content validity ratio, content validity index, and construct validity using exploratory factor analysis were performed. Results: Subscales in the final instrument included Intrapersonal Conflict, Intragroup Conflict, Intergroup Conflict, and Causes of Conflict. Reliability of the instrument was .86, and the feasibility was 96.8%. Conclusions: The final 40-item WCEDN demonstrated strong psychometric properties.