Development and Psychometric Evaluation of the Moral Competence Scale for Home Care Nurses in Japan

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the validity and reliability of the Moral Competence Scale for Home Care Nurses (MCSHCN). Methods: A self-administered questionnaire that included the preliminary MCSHCN (90 items) was distributed to home care nurses (HCNs) in Japan. Usable data (from 1,961 questionnaires) were analyzed. Results: Item and exploratory factor analysis for the MCSHCN revealed 45 items that loaded on 5 factors. This 5-factor model showed reasonable fit to the data by confirmatory factor analysis (root mean square error of approximation [RMSEA] = 0.070). Thus, the model closely corresponded to the theoretical components of moral competence. Cronbach's alpha ranged from .78 to .93. Conclusions: The construct validity and internal consistency reliability were supported. Further research is needed to refine this scale to increase the generalizability.