Reliability and validity of the Turkish version of the Barriers to Nurses' Use of Physical Assessment scale

Aim This study aimed to translate the Barriers to Nurses' Use of Physical Assessment Scale into Turkish and assess the new version's validity and reliability. Methods This was a methodological study to verify the linguistic equivalence of the scale through the translation/back-translation method. Twelve experts in health assessment confirmed the scale's content validity. Along with the Barriers to Nurses' Use of Physical Assessment Scale, an information form, including socio-demographic features, was distributed to 380 nurses, who consented to participate in the research. Data were collected between July 2017 and April 2018. Internal consistency, factor analysis and test-retest reliability were used to determine consistency over time and intraclass correlations. Results The content validity index of the scale (0.963) was calculated following confirmation of its language equivalence. With the confirmatory factor analysis, it was determined that the fit index values were at an acceptable level and the model was suitable. The factor analysis clustered factors in seven domains. The overall internal consistency coefficient was 0.822. All subscales and the overall scale showed high intraclass correlations. Conclusion The Turkish version of the Barriers to Nurses' Use of Physical Assessment Scale is a valid and reliable instrument. Summary statement What is already known about this topic? Nursing assessment is a critical step in the nursing process. A holistic and systematic approach is key to improving the quality of nursing care, which may be hindered by barriers to the performance of physical assessment. Several international studies have examined the barriers encountered by nurses; however, there is a lack of both instruments and research on this subject in Turkish literature. What this paper adds? The findings confirmed that the Turkish version of the Barriers to Nurses' Use of Physical Assessment Scale is a valid and reliable instrument and can be used to determine the barriers to nurses' ability to perform physical assessments. Nurses and clinic managers will be able to use the scale to identify the factors preventing assessment and develop strategies to overcome them. The questionnaire can help eliminate assessment barriers to create an effective and systematic assessment environment. The implications of this paper: Nurses and clinical managers should work together to identify and eliminate assessment barriers. Barriers to nurses' use of physical assessments can be objectively identified through a valid and reliable tool, providing opportunities for the elimination of such barriers and the development of nursing assessment activities.