Development of a Nursing Practice Rating Scale for Hospitalized Pregnant Women with Threatened Preterm Labor

Objective: This study aims to develop and validate the Nursing Practice Rating Scale for Hospitalized Pregnant Women with Threatened Preterm Labor (NPRS-HTPL) instrument for clinical Japanese nurses. Design: Cross-sectional study. Setting: General hospitals in Japan with perinatal medical centers. Participants: This study collected a total of 744 nurse participants who experienced caring for pregnant women hospitalized with threatened preterm labor from 88hospitals. Methods: The items in the Nursing Practice Rating Scale for Hospitalized Pregnant Women with Threatened Preterm Labor (NPRS-HTPL) were extracted from previous research. The reliability and validity of the newly developed scale were assessed through the split-half method, internal consistency, criterion-related validity, and construct validity. The construct validity was examined by conducting a factor analysis and using the structural equation modeling (SEM). Results: The final NPRS-HTPL contained 45 items, and factor analysis identified five factors: Care That Enhances Self-care Ability (13 items), Care That Changes Depending on the Situation (7 items), Care That Respects the Wishes of Pregnant Women With Threatened Preterm Labor (9 items), Care Related to Information to Predict the Future Lives of Pregnant Women With Threatened Preterm Labor (8 items), and Practical Care for Continued Pregnancy (8 items). Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of reliability for the five factors ranged from 0.85 to 0.92 and was 0.96 for the 45 items. Confirmatory factor analysis was performed, using SEM. Analysis revealed a goodness-of-fit index (GFI) of 0.808 and the root mean square error of approximation was 0.06, which means an acceptable goodness of fit for this model. Conclusion: The reliability of the NPRS-HTPL was supported. The scale may be a useful tool with which to evaluate nursing practice to support pregnant women with threatened preterm labor while they are in hospital.