Cross-cultural Adaptation and Validation of the Italian Version of the Revised Perceived Perioperative Competence Scale

Purpose: The nurse's role in the operating room requires essential competencies throughout the care process, such as theoretical knowledge, technical skills, and problem-solving abilities assessed by the Revised Perceived Perioperative Competence Scale (PPCS-R). The study aims to translate, cross-culturally adapt, and validate the Italian version of the scale. Design: A cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the Italian version of PPCS-R. Methods: The revised English version of the 40-item scale PPCS-R was translated into Italian according to Beaton's guidelines. The scale's internal consistency was assessed using Cronbach's α coefficient, ensuring the instrument's reliability. An exploratory factor analysis was conducted, preceded by the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin test and Bartlett's sphericity test. Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS version 29.1 (IBM Corp.). Findings: The exploratory factor analysis of the Revised Perceived Perioperative Competence Scale—Italian Version (PPCS-R ITA) (N = 509) confirmed the 6 factors served in the original version. The final Italian version of PPCS-R comprises 40 items grouped into 6 latent factors. Each latent component showed a high consistency per Cronbach's α. The statistical analyses of the study confirm the reliability and good consistency of the tool. Conclusions: The statistical analyses of the study confirm the reliability and consistency of the tool (Revised Perceived Perioperative Competence Scale—Italian Version). By investigating the perception of Italian professionals working in the operating room through a translated and validated scale, specific training and professional development needs of a specific context can be better understood to identify appropriate learning and management strategies.