Development and psychometric evaluation of the arterial puncture self-efficacy scale

•The APSES shows evidence of high reliability, very good criterion validity and excellent content and construct validity.•The APSES can be used to assess healthcare professionals' confidence before attempting to perform arterial puncture on patients.•The APSES can provide healthcare educators with valuable information about the effectiveness of their teaching methods.

BackgroundArterial puncture for arterial blood gases (ABG) analysis can be a risky, painful, difficult-to-perform procedure that is often insufficiently practised and generates stress and discomfort amongst patients and healthcare professionals. Self-efficacy is a key component in the acquisition of procedural skills. Therefore, professionals' self-efficacy in arterial puncture should be measured before attempting the procedure on real patients.ObjectiveTo develop and psychometrically assess a self-efficacy scale in arterial puncture.DesignAn observational cross-sectional design was used in this study.SettingFaculty of Education Sciences, Nursing and Physiotherapy in a higher education institution in the south of Spain.ParticipantsA convenience sample of 342 nursing students entered and completed the study. All participants met the following inclusion criteria: (1) ≥ 18 years old and (2) enrolled in a nursing degree programme during the 2014/2015 academic year. Participants were 74% female (n = 254) and their age ranged from 18 to 50, with a mean age of 21.74 years (SD = 5.14).MethodThe Arterial Puncture Self-Efficacy Scale (APSES) was developed and psychometrically tested. Reliability and content validity were studied. Predictive validity and concurrent validity assessed criterion validity. In addition, principal component analysis and known-group analysis evaluated construct validity.ResultsPrincipal component analysis revealed the two-subscale structure of the final 22-item version of the Arterial Puncture Self-Efficacy Scale (APSES). A total Cronbach's alpha coefficient of 0.97 showed its high reliability. The APSES' content validity index was excellent (S-CVI/Ave = 0.95). Predictive and concurrent validity analysis demonstrated the good criterion validity of the tool. Supporting the APSES' sensitivity and specificity, known-groups analysis evidenced significant differences (p < 0.001) in self-efficacy levels between groups.ConclusionThe APSES showed good psychometric properties for measuring self-efficacy in arterial puncture for ABG analysis.