Development and Usability of the Knowledge about Older Patients Quiz (KOP-Q).

Abstract

Abstract Background: Due to the aging of society there is an increased need for nurses who can adequately provide care for older persons. Several studies have shown that nurses and nursing students’ knowledge of health problems related to aging must improve. However none of the current questionnaires that measure this knowledge were specifically developed to test nurses’ and nursing students’ knowledge on aging and/or meets the standards of the Consensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurements Instruments (COSMIN) criteria. The aim of this study is to assess the quality of a newly developed questionnaire, the Knowledge about Older Persons Quiz (KOP-Q). Methods: Content validity was confirmed using the Delphi technique. A panel of six experts in geriatric care and vocational education evaluated the content validity. The Average Content Validity Index was used for making assessments. Eight nursing students performed readability tests. A cross-sectional, explorative study was conducted to assess the underlying construct, item reduction and internal consistency of the KOP-Q. The internal consistency was measured by Cronbach’s alpha. Explorative factor analysis was used for item reduction and assessing underlying construct. A total of 232 nursing students from ten nursing schools completed the KOP-Q questionnaire. Results: After two Delphi rounds, consensus was reached. Content validity was good (S-CVI/Ave = 0.87). The overall usability was rated as positive (23 items;100%). Explorative factor analyses failed in revealing different underlying constructs. The Cronbach’s alpha was moderate after extracting nine items (.634), finally resulting in a 21-item questionnaire. Conclusion and implications: The KOP-Q is a well-developed evaluative instrument, usable in the context of vocational nursing students. For additional validation, item response theory analysis is recommended for item evaluation. Further, structural updating is recommended in order to be certain of the tenability of the questionnaire.