Development and Cross-Validation of a New Instrument to Measure Nurse's Positive Energy of Retention (NPER): A Methodological Study

AIM: The aim of this study was to develop and psychometrically test a new instrument for measuring nurse's positive energy of retention (NPER). BACKGROUND: The shortage of professional nurses is an unresolved global issue. Few studies explored the issue of the retention of nurses in terms of a positive psychological viewpoint. DESIGN: Methodological study. METHODS: Data collection was from June 2016-August 2017. Nurses (N = 947) recruited from northern, central and southern Taiwan covering different levels of hospitals were divided into three samples, which were used for explaratory factor analysis (EFA), confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and cross-validation respectively. RESULTS: EFA resulted in a three-factor solution: proactive and persevering characteristics, nursing professional identity and passion accounting for 61.8% of total variance. The proposed three-factor model was confirmed by CFA. Cross-validation provided further evidence for the construct validity of the NPER instrument with 24 items. Cronbach's alpha coefficient of three subscales of the instrument were 0.95, 0.89, and 0.92 separately and 0.96 for the total scale. CONCLUSION: Psychometric properties indicate that the newly formulated NPER instrument is a valid and reliable assessment tool to recruit nurses who are more likely to remain in nursing. IMPACT: The study addressed the personal intrinsic factors, which are very important for nurses' retention. The NPER instrument consisted of three subscales is a reliable and psychometrically valid new instrument. Managers could apply the NPER instrument to recruit nurses possessing the attributes of positive energy of retention. Furthermore, researchers could use the rigorous process provided in the study to establish a new instrument.