Development and validation of a healthy work environment quality instrument

Abstract

Background As the importance of a healthy work environment for nurses' good practice and patient safety has been recognized, there is a need to assess nurses' perceptions of the quality of a healthy work environment. Methods The initial items for the instrument were developed through literature review and interviews. The initial items were evaluated for content validity by ten experts. Two hundred and forty-seven shift nurses participated in this study through face-to-face surveys to test the reliability and validity of the instrument. The evaluation was used for item and confirmatory factor analyses to assess the criterion-related validity and internal consistency of the instrument. Test-retest reliability was analyzed using data from thirty-two nurses. Results The final instrument consisted of 23 items with five sub-factors identified through confirmatory factor analysis. Criterion-related validity was established using the K-PES-NWI (r = .54). Cronbach's alpha for the total items was .85, and test-retest reliability was .73. Conclusion The results confirmed the validity and reliability of the developed instrument. This instrument can be used as a basis for evaluating the healthy work environment quality of shift nurses and creating a desirable nursing work environment.