Designing and Validation of the Nurses’ Preparedness to Response to COVID-19 Questionnaire in Iran

Abstract

Objective: Nurses are considered key members to respond to incidents and disasters. As many patients are hospitalized during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, and nurses are directly in contact with these patients; their preparedness enables them to respond to this situation more effectively and protects their health. Therefore, the present study aimed to design and validate a questionnaire to measure the nurses’ preparedness in response to COVID-19 in Iran in 2020. Methods: This study was a mixed research aiming to develop and validate a psychometric research instrument in 2020. Based on the review of the literature regarding COVID-19 and other viral respiratory infections, the items were extracted, rewritten, and validated. In the quantitative phase, the validity of the questionnaire was evaluated in terms of face, content, and construct validity, and its reliability was evaluated based on internal consistency and stability (Cronbach’s alpha and Intra-class Correlation Coefficient [ICC]). To fill out the questionnaire, the nurses were selected by random sampling. Data analysis was done by the SPSS software, version 23 (IBM Corp, Armonk, NY). Results: The designed questionnaire included 9 dimensions and 50 items. The dimensions included (1) Incident Command System (ICS); (2) risk assessment and management; (3) information and communication management; (4) psychological approaches; (5) personal protective equipment; (6) prevention of contamination, isolation, and quarantine; (7) education and training; (8) patient management; and (9) features of the new coronavirus. The content and face validity of the questionnaire were approved by the specialists and experts of nursing and health in disasters and emergencies. The content validity ratio was > 0.7 for all items. The content validity index was also approved for all items. The Cronbach’s alpha coefficient and ICC were respectively 0.71 and 0.72 for the total questionnaire. The total score was determined based on 5 ranges, including 50–89 (very low preparedness), 90–129 (low preparedness), 130–170 (medium-level preparedness), 171–210 (high preparedness), and 211–250 (very high preparedness). Conclusion: Nurses’ preparedness to respond to this pandemic requires multilateral measures. Measuring the nurses’ preparedness can clarify the challenges in hospital measures taken to respond to this crisis. Evaluating the nurses, determining the challenges and priorities, and finding solutions to resolve them can improve the nurses’ performance in providing health care services. Preparation of nurses during pandemics can reduce the damages to this group and maximize their efforts to protect the patients. Thus, health planners and policy-makers should try to promote the nurses’ awareness and preparedness.