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Background: Literature review indicated there is no existing nursing competency framework or instrument for Chinese registered nurses. By virtue of its global leadership role in nursing, the International Council of Nurses (ICN) developed an ICN Framework of Competencies for the Generalist Nurses in 2003. On the basis of the ICN's framework, a qualitative study was conducted to explore the expectations of Chinese nurse professionals on nursing competency in the previous study. A competency framework for Chinese registered nurses was formed. This paper describes the development and testing of the Competency Inventory for Registered Nurses (CIRN)., Methods: A methodological study design was used, consisting of two phases with six steps. A review of literature generated 112 items, which were evaluated by six experts followed by field testing in a purposive sample of 815 Chinese clinical registered nurses. Factor analysis and item analysis were applied to establish the scale's construct validity and reliability., Results: The final scale consists of seven dimensions with 58 items. The overall scale reliability had a Cronbach's alpha of 0.89; the dimensions Cronbach's alpha ranged from 0.79 to 0.86. In addition, evidence for two other kinds of validity was obtained, which included criterion-related validity (r=0.44, p=0.04) and contrasted-group validity (p<0.001)., Conclusion: The CIRN has demonstrated evidence of internal consistency reliability, content validity, and construct validity, and it provides an objective tool for assessing registered nurse competencies in the various areas of clinical practice.

The prevalence of helminths in pigs was investigated in five rural communities situated on the embankment of Dongting Lake in Zhiyang County, Hunan Province, People's Republic of China, in an area known to be endemic for Schistosoma japonicum. The helminth prevalences identified on the basis of faecal egg count analysis were: Oesophagostomum spp. (86.7%), Ascaris suum (36.7%), Metastrongylus spp. (25.8%), Strongyloides spp. (25.8%), Trichuris suis (15.8%), Globocephalus spp. (6.7%), Gnathostoma spp. (4.2%), Schistosoma japonicum (5.0%) and Fasciola spp. (1.3%). Post mortem examinations of a small number of pigs depositing eggs of different helminth species revealed the presence of Oesophagostomum dentatum, O. quadrispinulatum, A. suum, Metastrongylus apri, M. pudendotectus, T. suis, G. hispidum and Ascarops dentata. Prevalences of all helminths, with the exception of Oesophagostomum spp., were higher in young pigs (< 8 months old) compared with adult pigs. Prevalences of trematodes were very low, especially for S. japonicum which had decreased dramatically compared with previous reports from this area of P.R. China, whereas prevalences of nematodes were generally in agreement with those reported from other Yangtze River Provinces. Results from helminth prevalence studies in pigs, conducted in other provinces of P.R. China between 1987 and 1997, are presented and discussed. It was concluded that a government helminth control programme, implemented in 1995 to control S. japonicum infection in pigs in Hunan Province, may have resulted in a greatly reduced prevalence of S. japonicum in pigs in this region.