Abstract
Background/Purpose: Delirium is a serious and often under-recognized condition in hospitalized patients, particularly in critical and acute care settings. Nurses play a key role in delirium prevention, screening, and management.1 However, nurses may not consistently use evidence-based practices when caring for patients with delirium.2,3 Research shows that nurses’ attitudes and perceptions towards delirium can significantly affect the quality of delirium care.4,5 It is important to identify and understand nursing perceptions of delirium to address barriers in delirium prevention and management. Currently, there is no valid instrument to assess nursing perceptions when caring for patients with delirium. The study aimed to develop the Nursing Perceptions in Caring for Patients with Delirium Scale (NPCPDS) and evaluate the psychometric properties of the scale.
Methods: The NPCPDS was developed through an extensive literature review using the Systems Engineering Initiative for Patient Safety model as the conceptual framework.6 The scale's content relevance, clarity and importance were evaluated by a panel of experts. Online surveys were administered among 83 registered nurses in a local healthcare system through Research Electronic Data Capture (REDCap®). To evaluate the psychometric properties of the scale, item analysis, scale reliability and exploratory factor analysis were conducted using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 28. The significance level for all statistical tests was set at p < 0.05.
Results: Psychometric testing resulted in a valid and reliable 9-item scale with a three-factor structure. The scale demonstrated excellent internal consistency, with a Chronbach’s alpha = 0.848. The Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin measure of sampling adequacy was 0.783 (p < 0.001), indicating a good level of sampling adequacy for principal components analysis. The three factors, each with an eigenvalue >1, explained more than 74.18% of the total variance: time and workload constraints, knowledge and assessment complexity, and organizational support.
Implications: The NPCPDS has significant implications for global nursing practice, education and policy development. Nursing leaders can use the scale to address system factors to empower nurses in promoting quality care and improving patient outcomes. The NPCPDS can also support international standardization of nursing delirium care, promoting global collaboration in the development of best practices.
Notes
References:
1. Cyrus T, Wenthold R, Hall B, et al. Effectiveness of a delirium prevention initiative on an inpatient neuroscience unit. J Neurosci Nurs. 2021;53(2):75-80. doi:10.1097/JNN.0000000000000580
2. Lim XM, Lim ZHT, Ignacio J. Nurses' experiences in the management of delirium among older persons in acute care ward settings: A qualitative systematic review and meta-aggregation. Int J Nurs Stud. 2022;127:104157. doi:10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2021.104157
3. Thomas N, Coleman M, Terry D, Gray R. Nurses' experience of caring for patients with delirium: Systematic review and qualitative evidence synthesis. Nurs Rep. 2021;11(1):164-174. doi:10.3390/nursrep11010016
4. Papaioannou M, Papastavrou E, Kouta C, Charalambous A. Investigating nurses’ knowledge and attitudes about delirium in older persons:
A cross-sectional study. BMC Nurs. 2023;22:10. doi:10.1186/s12912-022-01158-9
5. Yang Z, Pituskin E, Norris C, Papathanassoglou E. Synthesis of intensive care nurses' experiences of caring for patients with delirium. World Crit Care Nurs. 2020;14(2):55-77. doi:10.1891/WFCCN-D-20-00015
6. Holden RJ, Carayon P, Gurses AP, et al. SEIPS 2.0: A human factors framework for studying and improving the work of healthcare professionals and patients. Ergonomics. 2013;56(11):1669-1686. doi:10.1080/00140139.2013.838643
Sigma Membership
Mu Gamma at-Large
Type
Presentation
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
Other
Research Approach
Other
Keywords:
Instrument and Tool Development, Acute Care, Workforce, Delirium, Evidence-based Practice
Recommended Citation
Zhao, Yunchuan; Jacobs, Elena; Kelley, Brittany; Quon, Anna C.; and Tivis, Laura J., "Psychometric Evaluation of Nursing Perceptions in Caring for Patients with Delirium Scale" (2025). International Nursing Research Congress (INRC). 82.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/inrc/2025/presentations_2025/82
Conference Name
36th International Nursing Research Congress
Conference Host
Sigma Theta Tau International
Conference Location
Seattle, Washington, USA
Conference Year
2025
Rights Holder
All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record.
Review Type
Abstract Review Only: Reviewed by Event Host
Acquisition
Proxy-submission
Psychometric Evaluation of Nursing Perceptions in Caring for Patients with Delirium Scale
Seattle, Washington, USA
Background/Purpose: Delirium is a serious and often under-recognized condition in hospitalized patients, particularly in critical and acute care settings. Nurses play a key role in delirium prevention, screening, and management.1 However, nurses may not consistently use evidence-based practices when caring for patients with delirium.2,3 Research shows that nurses’ attitudes and perceptions towards delirium can significantly affect the quality of delirium care.4,5 It is important to identify and understand nursing perceptions of delirium to address barriers in delirium prevention and management. Currently, there is no valid instrument to assess nursing perceptions when caring for patients with delirium. The study aimed to develop the Nursing Perceptions in Caring for Patients with Delirium Scale (NPCPDS) and evaluate the psychometric properties of the scale.
Methods: The NPCPDS was developed through an extensive literature review using the Systems Engineering Initiative for Patient Safety model as the conceptual framework.6 The scale's content relevance, clarity and importance were evaluated by a panel of experts. Online surveys were administered among 83 registered nurses in a local healthcare system through Research Electronic Data Capture (REDCap®). To evaluate the psychometric properties of the scale, item analysis, scale reliability and exploratory factor analysis were conducted using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 28. The significance level for all statistical tests was set at p < 0.05.
Results: Psychometric testing resulted in a valid and reliable 9-item scale with a three-factor structure. The scale demonstrated excellent internal consistency, with a Chronbach’s alpha = 0.848. The Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin measure of sampling adequacy was 0.783 (p < 0.001), indicating a good level of sampling adequacy for principal components analysis. The three factors, each with an eigenvalue >1, explained more than 74.18% of the total variance: time and workload constraints, knowledge and assessment complexity, and organizational support.
Implications: The NPCPDS has significant implications for global nursing practice, education and policy development. Nursing leaders can use the scale to address system factors to empower nurses in promoting quality care and improving patient outcomes. The NPCPDS can also support international standardization of nursing delirium care, promoting global collaboration in the development of best practices.
Description
The Nursing Perceptions in Caring for Patients with Delirium Scale (NPCPDS) is an instrument developed to assess nurses' perceptions of delirium care. The psychometric evaluation revealed a reliable, valid 9-item scale with three factors: time and workload constraints, knowledge and assessment complexity, and organizational support. The NPCPDS can assist nurses in promoting delirium care and improve patient care quality.