Professional nursing communication competence: Theoretical procedures for instrument development and pilot test

Aims: To describe the theoretical procedures for the development of the Professional Nursing Communication Competence instrument, determine the content validity and describe the pilot test application. Background: Measuring instruments must be developed in accordance with the context and communication process by adopting theoretical procedures based on competence structures to support quality patient-centred care and nursing management. Methods: A methodological study was employed. The instrument was developed by using content-validated theoretical construct in accordance with 33 communication theories followed by semantic analysis and content validity by experts. The instrument was tested over three phases: before the lecture on professional nursing communication competence, after the simulation scenario experience and after debriefing. Results: The instrument showed an extremely high agreement (CVI = 0.99). Linear regression suggested three domains of the 46-item content-validated instrument comprising knowledge (18 items), skills (12 items) and attitudes (16 items). Conclusion: The instrument was found to measure professional communication competence with a high theoretical reliability of the contexts and processes through a simulation strategy. Implications for Nursing Management: Nursing educators, managers and staff can adopt the Professional Nursing Communication Competence (IMC-CPE) instrument to improve the effectiveness level of knowledge, skills and attitudes to reduce misunderstanding among team members and health care errors.