Turkish adaptation and psychometric characteristics of the Nursing Authority and Autonomy Scale.

AIM

To adapt the Nursing Authority and Autonomy Scale (NAAS) into Turkish the Nursing Authority and Autonomy Scale (NAAS) to Turkish and assess its psychometric properties for Turkish nurses and nurse managers.

BACKGROUND

The NAAS is a tool that specifically measures nursing authority and autonomy from the perspectives of nurses and nurse managers.

METHODS

The study sample consisted of 160 nurse managers and 266 staff nurses. Content validity was assessed using expert approval. Construct validity was assessed using confirmatory factor analysis. Internal consistency was assessed using Cronbach's α, and the test-retest reliability was assessed using Pearson's correlation coefficients.

RESULTS

The model achieved a good fit. The internal reliability of the NAAS' authority and autonomy in nursing practice and importance of nursing practice subscales were .84. The Cronbach's α of the instrument was .88. The test-retest scores within an interval of 3 weeks were statistically not significant.

CONCLUSIONS

The Turkish version of the NAAS has good psychometric properties and this scale can be employed to measure nurses' authority and autonomy.

IMPLICATION FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT

Nurse managers and educators should use an appropriate scale such as NAAS in order to assess nurses' clinical authority and autonomy to improve patient outcomes and develop nurses.