Adaptation of the Gerontological Nursing Competence (GeroNursingCom) instrument to Turkish: Validity and reliability study.

AIM: The aim of this study was to conduct a Turkish validity and reliability study of the Gerontological Nursing Competence Scale and to adapt the scale to Turkish culture. BACKGROUND: As the number of older people increses, gerontological nursing requires specialized expertise in older people care. High-quality basic education and further education guarantee good competence in gerontological care. DESIGN: A methodological study of instrument translation and validation. METHODS: The study was methodological and the sample consisted of 530 university students who agreed to participate in the study. Data were collected by online interview method using the Introductory Information Form and Gerontological Nursing Competence Scale (GeroNursingCom). Before starting the study, permission was obtained from the ethics committee, the relevant institution, the scale owner and the students. Language equivalence and content validity of the scale were ensured and Confirmatory Factor Analysis Models (CFA) was conducted. Cronbach Alpha and item-total correlation analysis were used for the reliability of the scale. RESULTS: The scale was compatible in terms of linguistic fidelity Content Validity Index (CVI) (Language)=0.97 and content fidelity CVI (Content)=0.96. The CFA results showed that the χ2/sd value was 1.861 and since this value was less than three, it can be stated that the model provided an excellent fit to the data. Comparative Fit Index (CFI) and Non-normalized Fit Index (NNFI) values were determined as 0.99 and 0.99 respectively and these values being above 0.90 indicate that the model provides an excellent fit to the data. Square Root of Standardized Errors (SRMR) index was 0.045 and Root Mean Square Error of Approximation (RMSEA) index was 0.040 and these values were less than 0.080, indicating that the model provided an excellent fit to the data. The Cronbach's alpha reliability coefficient of 0.97 was found to be highly reliable and the Cronbach's alpha reliability coefficients calculated for the sub-dimensions ranged between 0.77 and 0.91. CONCLUSIONS: It was determined that the gerontological nursing competence scale is valid and reliable for nursing students and can be used in both student and working nurses living in Turkey.

Nursing students' competence profiles in gerontological nursing-A cross-sectional study.

AIM: The study aimed to describe and explain the self-assessed gerontological nursing competence levels of Finnish nursing students and factors relating to it. DESIGN: A cross-sectional study design, reported by The Strengthening the Reporting of Observational studies in Epidemiology guidelines. METHODS: Data were collected with the GeroNursingCom instrument, which features 53 items relating to 11 competence factors. The K-clustering technique and the Chi-squared, Kruskal-Wallis and Mann Whitney tests were used to analyse the data. RESULTS: Seven hundred and ninety-nine nursing students from nine randomly selected higher education institutions were invited to participate in 2019. Three distinct student profiles were identified according to the data (N = 274): Profile A-lower intermediate competence (23.1% of students), Profile B-intermediate competence (45.8%) and Profile C-high competence (31.1%). The strongest competence area for all students was appreciative encounter and interaction, and the weakest was supporting the older person's sexuality. Nursing students have diverse backgrounds and their overall competence in gerontological nursing is shaped in part by their previous education, motivations and work experience. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Recognizing students' different gerontological nursing competence profiles enables the implementation of targeted education to improve competence in clinical practice.

Future palliative competence needs - a qualitative study of physicians' and registered nurses' views.

BACKGROUND: Globally, the need for palliative care will increase as a result of the ageing of populations and the rising burden of cancer, non-communicable diseases as well as some communicable diseases. Physicians and registered nurses working in palliative care should have a sufficient level of education and competence in managing the changing needs and requirements of palliative care. There is, however, need for evidence-based palliative care training and education of physicians and registered nurses. The purpose of this study was to describe the views of physicians and registered nurses regarding future competence needs within palliative care. METHODS: The study was conducted through use of a cross-sectional qualitative design. A total of 54 physicians and 110 registered nurses completed an open-ended questionnaire about the future competence needs of palliative care. The data were analyzed using inductive content analysis. RESULTS: The results revealed four main competence needs within palliative care for the coming decade: palliative care competence at all levels within healthcare and social welfare services; individualized palliative care competence; person-centered encounters competence; and systematic competence development within palliative care. CONCLUSIONS: The results offer cues for education and professional development, which can be used to support physicians and registered nurses when future palliative care competences are included in educational programs. Seamless cooperation between palliative care services and educational institutions is recommended to ensure that undergraduate and postgraduate education is based on a continuous assessment of competence requirements within the field of palliative care. Therefore, online multi-professional simulations, for example, could be used to enhance future competencies within palliative care; undergraduate medical, nursing and allied healthcare students as well as postgraduate palliative care professionals and experts of experience could work together during simulations.

Development and psychometric testing of the Gerontological Nursing Competence (GeroNursingCom) instrument.

AIM: To develop and psychometrically test an instrument - GeroNursingCom - that measures gerontological nursing competence of nursing students. DESIGN: An instrument development guided by COSMIN guidelines. METHOD: The development and testing of the GeroNursingCom instrument proceeded according to four distinct phases: (a) establishing a theoretical background; (b) testing face and content validity; (c) examining structural validity; and (d) testing internal consistency. The items of instrument were based on a theoretical framework developed from a comprehensive literature review and focus group interviews with experts (N = 27) in spring 2018. Content validity was assessed by nine experts in gerontological nursing, while face validity was tested in a pilot study including 36 nursing students. Structural validity was examined with exploratory factor analysis with 267 nursing students from nine universities of applied sciences. The internal consistency was established with Cronbach's alpha. The data were collected in spring and autumn 2019. The data analysis was conducted with multivariate statistical methods. RESULTS: The GeroNursingCom development and testing process yielded an instrument that includes 53 items across 11 factors: (a) appreciative encounters and interactions with older people; (b) medication for older people; (c) nutrition for older people; (d) safe living environment for older people; (e) supporting the functioning of older people; (f) end-of-life care; (g) developing one's competencies; (h) supporting an older person's mental well-being; (i) supporting an older person's sexuality; (j) guiding self-care among older people; and (k) responding to challenging situations. The instrument was able to explain 66.15% of the total observed variance, while Cronbach's alpha values for individual items varied from 0.75-0.89. CONCLUSION: TheGeroNursingCom instrument can be used to measure gerontological nursing competence among nursing students to improve gerontological nursing education and/or geriatric care. IMPACT: Graduating nursing students must develop versatile competencies to face the multiple needs of older patients and curriculums need to be further developed to ensure students are prepared for gerontological nursing.