An objective test to measure evidence-based practice knowledge and skill competency of acute care nurses: A psychometric validation study.

BACKGROUND

Few objective measures of evidence-based practice (EBP) knowledge/skill exist. The Fresno Test, one objective method, was validated first with medicine, followed by versions for physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech therapists, social workers, dietitians, pediatric nurses, and health care students. The Fresno Test was adapted and tested with cohorts of acute care nurses. Six of the 14 items required revision to achieve acceptable psychometrics.

AIM

The aim of this second validation study was to revise and validate a new version of the test, The Modified Fresno Test-Acute Care Nursing (MFT-ACN), to determine if it could distinguish EBP knowledge/skills among acute care nurses.

METHODS

A panel of eight EBP experts were engaged in multiple Delphi rounds to revise items. Individual-content validity indices (CVI) ranged from 0.83 to 1.0, with scale-CVI 0.92. Using a cohort design, a cross-sectional sample of 90 novice, master, and expert nurses were recruited via national listservs or snowball sampling to complete the revised test. Two doctorally prepared EBP experts independently scored tests using the standardized rubric.

RESULTS

The MFT-ACN yielded strong psychometric properties (intra-class correlation coefficients > 0.80; item discrimination indices > 0.20; item-total correlations > 0.30). One poorly performing item was dropped per a priori cut-off values. The final test included 13 items, with a Cronbach's alpha = 0.77. Item difficulty was moderate to high. Most items discriminated well between cohorts. Mean total scores were positively correlated with age, years since graduation, years of acute care experience, and formal EBP or research workshops or conferences or courses or immersions. Perceived level of EBP expertise was not associated with mean scores. Further research is recommended with a larger sample to assess the tests' responsiveness to change in EBP knowledge/skills over time and enhance its acceptability and feasibility. Additional research should further evaluate construct and concurrent validity against other objective assessments of EBP knowledge/skills.

LINKING EVIDENCE TO ACTION

The validated 13-item MFT-ACN can be used to evaluate EBP competencies of acute care nurses in academic and practice settings. It can also be used by nurse scientists to build a stronger evidence base on types of educational programs that excel in advancing the critical competency of EBP among our nursing workforce.