Psychometric Evaluation of the Creighton Competency Evaluation Instrument in a Population of Working Nurses.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE This study explored the psychometric properties of the Creighton Competency Evaluation Instrument (C-CEI), previously validated for use with nursing students, to assess simulation performance among registered nurses working 12-hour shifts. Valid and reliable measurements are needed to test clinical and simulation competencies and characterize the effects of fatigue on nursing performance. METHODS Trained raters scored nurses' patient care performance in simulation scenarios using the C-CEI. We analyzed the instrument's principal components, internal reliability, and construct validity. RESULTS Internal reliability of the C-CEI aggregate score and the Clinical Decision-making component were high (>.70). The latter robustly correlated with predicted cognitive effectiveness, a measure of fatigue. CONCLUSIONS The C-CEI is a reliable measure for use among registered nurses and its further development will be important for testing performance of working nurses and fatigue-mitigation innovations.