2018 Volume 30 Issue 3 Pages 166-174
We developed a scale to assess core competencies of rheumatoid arthritis（RA）nurses, and verified its reliability and validity.
We involved 22 RA nurses registered with the Certified Nurse by Japan Rheumatism Foundation（CNJRF）and discussed assessment items for expertise and practical capabilities. We then sent questionnaires to them by mail to check the 33 items identified for the original draft scale. From 1651 nurses listed on the Japan Rheumatism Foundation web site, we selected 600 nurses by stratified random sampling and mass-mailed them the questionnaire for the draft scale. Out of 227 who gave valid responses, 60 were resurveyed three weeks later for test-retest reliability and 47 responded. Exploratory factor analysis was conducted on 23 items to examine 5 factors, “knowledge and skills specialized in rheumatology（Cronbach's coefficient alpha=0.863）”, “listening attitude（α=0.919）”, “coordination for smooth rheumatology care provision（α=0.836）”, “practical techniques to support self-care（α=0.727）”, and “support for patients under treatment（α=0.900）”. Suitability was verified by confirmatory factor analysis, comparative fit index（CFI）＝0.926, standardized root mean square residual（SRMR）＝0.06, RMR＝0.049, root mean square error of approximation（RMSEA）＝0.06.
The results demonstrate the scale has reliability（internal consistency and stability）, construct validity（validation by exploratory factor and confirmatory factor analyses）, and criterion-related validity（concurrent validity）, which indicates the scale’s merit and effectiveness.
