The measurement of the operating room nurses’ compassion level: Turkish validity and reliability study

Abstract

Objective: In this study, it was aimed to examine whether the Compassion Scale, which can measure the compassion for others with six dimensions, is a valid and reliable tool for the operating room nurses. Material and Method: This methodological study was carried out with 236 nurses working in public and private hospitals between April and May 2017 in the European Side of Istanbul. In collecting the data, “Introductory Information Form” and “Compassion Scale”, consisting of 6 dimensions of 24 items, were used to measure the compassion for others. For the scale, the validity of the subject was obtained by taking the opinions of the colleagues and by the expert evaluation. Item-total score correlation and Cronbach’s alpha values were calculated for internal consistency/reliability. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis was performed for construct validity. Results: The Cronbach Alpha value of the scale was found to be 0,821. Spearman-Brown coefficient was 0.813. As a result of the Basic Component Analysis, the factor loadings of all items were above the accepted value of 0,40. According to the Lawshe method, the scope validity values of all items were between 0.64–1.00 values above 0.59, which is the lower limit for 11 experts. According to confirmatory factor analysis, fit indexes of the scale (CFI =.97; NNFI =.96; SRMR =.05 and RMSEA =.06) were found. Conclusion: According to the results of the study, it was determined that the Compassion Scale could be used as a valid and reliable scale in measuring the level of compassion of the operating room nurses. © Peter Lang GmbH Internationaler Verlag der Wissenschaften Berlin 2019. All rights reserved.