Develop and Psychometric Testing an Instrument to Evaluate the Management of Digital Competence Sharing in Healthcare

Abstract

Aim: To develop and psychometrically test an instrument to evaluate the management of digital competence sharing (MDCS) in healthcare.

Background: The rise of digital systems requires healthcare professionals to be digitally competent. Managers are responsible for ensuring that professionals possess the requisite digital competence and support their ongoing development.

Methods: This methodological study followed COSMIN guidelines for instrument development and involved three phases: (1) conceptualisation and item generation based on a qualitative framework; (2) face and content validity testing; and (3) structural validity and internal consistency evaluation. Content validity was assessed by an expert panel (n = 8) using the content validity index (CVI), and face validity was examined via pretesting with healthcare professionals (n = 8). Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was conducted with a cross-sectional sample of healthcare professionals (n = 227) to determine structural validity. Cronbach’s alpha was used to evaluate internal consistency.

Results: Seventy-five items were initially generated. The CVI exceeded the acceptable threshold of 0.90. Following the expert panel and pretesting, 40 items were retained for EFA. The final instrument, the MDCS, included 34 items across five factors: (1) creating a friendly and safe digital organisational atmosphere, (2) creating methods and practices of digital competence sharing, (3) identifying and utilising professionals’ digital competence, (4) providing resources and opportunities for digital competence sharing, and (5) promoting digital competence sharing through leadership. Cronbach’s alpha values for the factors ranged from 0.91 to 0.95.

Conclusion: The MDCS instrument demonstrates high construct validity and internal consistency, supporting its validity and reliability for assessing the MDCS in healthcare.

Implications for Nursing Management: This instrument can support nurse managers in identifying and enhancing digital competence sharing within their teams. Future studies should employ confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to validate the MDCS structure across subgroups.