Cultivating excellence: Development and validation of a bilingual competency self-assessment tool for infection prevention and control practitioners.

BACKGROUND

The study aimed at developing and validating a bilingual competency self-assessment tool for infection prevention and control practitioners based on the core competencies proposed by the World Health Organization.

METHODS

The study was conducted from December 2021 to June 2023. The bilingual tool (Brazilian Portuguese and English versions) was developed according to 4 stages: (1) conceptual framework establishment and item generation; (2) content validity; (3) response process validity; and (4) internal structure validity.

RESULTS

The Brazilian Portuguese version of the tool was organized into 5 areas, 36 items, and a Cronbach's alpha coefficient between 0.89 and 0.97; the English version of the tool was organized into 5 areas, 37 items, and a Cronbach's alpha coefficient between 0.91 and 0.98.

DISCUSSION

The bilingual tool gathers evidence of content validity and internal structure validity.

CONCLUSIONS

The current evidence suggests that these are the first self-assessment tools that have utilized the core competencies proposed by the World Health Organization as a conceptual basis. Such tools can be applied in countries of all income classifications, which makes it possible to design educational initiatives and enhance core competencies.