Design and Validation of a Questionnaire on Communicating Bad News in Nursing: A Pilot Study

Abstract

Communicating bad news (CBN) is a fundamental skill in nursing; nevertheless, few instruments exist for its evaluation. This study presents a questionnaire designed to measure nurses’ knowledge and ability of CBN, as well as the analysis of its psychometric properties. Based on a literature search, the initial dimensions of CBN were identified to construct the questionnaires’ items, which were evaluated by experts for the validity of the items’ contents. Construct validity and reliability of the resulting questionnaire was carried out in a sample of 71 nurses of an Andalusian university hospital. A questionnaire with 25 items was constructed with a high internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha 0.816). The content validity was evaluated via a literature review and additionally by the assessment of seven experts. The Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin test (KMO) obtained a score of 0.683, and the Bartlett test of sphericity a value of p < 0.001. The principal component analysis supported a construct of four dimensions. This questionnaire was found to be a valid and reliable instrument with a high internal consistency for the evaluation of CBN knowledge and skills of nursing professionals.