The psychometric evaluation of the perceived perioperative competence scale-revised for Malawian student nurses

Background: Perioperative nursing plays an important role in the success of any surgery. In Malawi, pre-service training is the only source of perioperative knowledge for nurses. In order to ensure that nurses are adequately prepared with perioperative knowledge and skills, an effective assessment of perioperative competence is required. The Perceived Perioperative Competence Scale-Revised (PPCS-R) is a scientifically developed and psychometrically validated tool for assessing perioperative nurses’ competence. Therefore, this study aimed to adapt and evaluate the psychometric properties of the Perioperative Competence Scale-Revised (PPCS-R) for use on undergraduate student nurses in Malawi. Methods: The adaptation of the PPCS-R involved a review by a panel of experts for content validity followed by an evaluation of Psychometric properties through a confirmatory factor analysis. The confirmatory factor analysis evaluated the reliability coefficient and factor loading for the scale based on data from 100 former nursing students. Results: Content analysis led to the exclusion of six items while twelve items were revised. The confirmatory Factor Analysis yielded 6 factors with Cronbach’s alpha ranging between 0.811 to 0.879. Conclusion: The Malawian student version of the PPCS-R has good reliability, validity, and psychometric properties. This will enable nurse educators, preceptors, clinical nurses, and even student nurses to assess perioperative nursing competency for undergraduate student nurses in Malawi.