Development and validation of the Competence Assessment Insights Survey for Australian Registered Nurses (CAISA-RN)

Problem: Despite the crucial role competence assessments play in nursing education and practice, there appear to be no validated survey tools that capture nurses' perceptions of their competence assessments, leading to a lack of insight into the end-users' perceptions.This study addresses that gap.Aim: The aim of this study is to develop and validate a survey tool that captures registered nurses' (RN) perspectives on competence assessments and their alignment with clinical experiences.Methods: A cross-sectional survey was developed following the Boateng et al. ( 2018) framework and O'Connor's (2022) recommendations.The online survey questionnaire was developed through literature review, expert consultation, and iterative refinement.It includes Likert-scale self-reported questions and open-ended qualitative items.The scale was initially developed using principal component analysis and factor analysis, followed by the validation of its psychometric properties through confirmatory factor analysis and exploratory factor analysis.Findings: Pilot testing confirmed content and construct validity of the scale.The survey tool demonstrated strong content validity through expert review and construct validity by aligning with established Australian frameworks.Psychometric testing confirmed the need to remove a poorly correlated item to enhance reliability and validity, based on a two-factor scale.Discussion: The study introduces the Competence Assessment Insights Survey for Registered Nurses (CAISA-RN), a validated tool offering insights into strengths, weaknesses, barriers, and facilitators in competence assessments via multifactor questionnaire. Conclusion:The development and validation of the CAISA-RN two-factor scale represent a significant advancement in understanding RNs' perspectives on competence assessments in clinical practice.Through a multistage process, the CAISA-RN tool demonstrated strong content and construct validity.The CAISA-RN fills a gap in competence assessment research by capturing RNs' perspectives.Its strong content and construct validity provide a foundation for refining competence assessment frameworks, improving nursing education, practice, and policy