Adaptation and psychometric properties of the Turkish version of the Nurses' competency in anticipatory grief counselling scale.

BACKGROUND

Nurses have duties, authorities, and responsibilities related to palliative care, education and counseling services for individuals and families with terminal illnesses, and assistance to grieving individuals and families. The study evaluates the validity and reliability of the Turkish version of the Nurses’ Competency in Anticipatory Grief Counseling Scale (AGCCS-TR).

METHODS

This methodological study was conducted using cross-sectional data collection. The sample of the study consisted of nurses working in intensive care, palliative care and oncology clinics of three public hospitals. The sample size was determined as five times the number of items (n = 265). A total of 295 nurses participated in the study with retesting sample. Expert opinions and factor analysis examined the scale’s content and structural validity. Cronbach’s alpha coefficients were calculated for internal consistency analysis and test-retest reliability for invariance over time.

RESULTS

The content validity index was between 0.87 and 0.94 for I-CVI and 0.93 for S-CVI. Cronbach’s alpha internal consistency coefficient for the AGCCS-TR was 0.98. The scale presented a structure with three factors and 51 items. Factor 1 was named as Nursing Competence in Diagnosing Anticipatory Grief, Factor 2 as Personal Competence in Anticipatory Grief Counseling and Factor 3 as Competence in Interdisciplinary Collaboration in Anticipatory Grief Counseling. The internal consistency coefficient of Factor 1 was 0.97, of Factor 2 was 0.96, and of Factor 3 was 0.91.

CONCLUSIONS

It was concluded that AGCCS-TR can be used as a valid and reliable tool in assessing the anticipatory grief counseling competencies of nurses. CLINICAL TRIAL NUMBER: Not applicable.