Development and Psychometric Evaluation of the Gerontological Nursing Competence Questionnaire in Iranian Hospitals

Background: This study evaluated the Gerontological Nursing Competence Questionnaire-Farsi version (GNCQ-F) in Iranian hospitals. Method: This exploratory sequential study used a mixed-methods design. The questionnaire items were developed based on a qualitative descriptive exploratory study and a review of the literature. The psychometric properties of the initial questionnaire including face validity, content validity, construct validity, internal consistency, and stability were evaluated. Results: Exploratory factor analysis resulted in the extraction of 42 items in five factors including care competence and patient/older adult and family empowerment, ethical and compassionate care competence, patient safety competence, continuous professional development and self-care competence, and collaborative and team care competence. Cronbach's alpha coefficient confirmed the internal consistency of each subscale and the entire tool (0.942). The stability reliability was 0.973 and was determined by calculating the intra-cluster correlation coefficient. Conclusion: Nurses can use this self-evaluation instrument to assess their gerontological nursing competence.