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Development and validation of a learning needs assessment scale: a continuing professional education tool for multiple sclerosis specialist nurses.

While A, Ullman R, Forbes A

King's College London, Florence Nightingale School of Nursing and Midwifery, London, UK. alison.while@kcl.ac.uk

AIM: To develop and validate a learning needs assessment scale. BACKGROUND: Learning needs analysis is a central component of continuing professional development but there is a lack of psychometrically developed learning needs assessment tools. Self-assessment questionnaires are emerging as a key method. The development of a learning needs analysis scale for multiple sclerosis specialist nurses is described. DESIGN: A psychometric approach comprising the three phases of the development and testing of the scale are outlined. METHOD: Phase 1: Item identification using a literature review; postal survey of stakeholders (n = 320), 20 nurse interviews; four nurse focus groups; five telephone interviews with people with MS. Phase 2: Refinement of draft scale and establishing face and content validity testing using an expert panel. Phase 3: Testing of draft scale using data from a postal survey (n = 47 MS specialist nurses) to assess the feasibility and effectiveness of scale, internal consistency and construct validity. Test-retest reliability was assessed using data from 17 MS specialist nurse respondents to calculate intra-class correlation coefficients. RESULTS: The data from the different study phases informed scale refinement. The validity and reliability of the scale was confirmed through testing. CONCLUSION: The study provides an example of how a robust learning needs assessment scale may be developed for a specialist area of nursing practice to be used in conjunction with more subjective approaches. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: High quality nursing care depends upon a competent nursing workforce that engages in continuing professional development. This study provides an example of a psychometrically developed learning needs assessment scale to inform continuing professional development needs of nurses working in a specialist area of practice.

Published 23 May 2007 in J Clin Nurs, 16(6): 1099-108.
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