Nursing Informatics Competency Assessment for the Nurse Leader: Instrument Refinement, Validation, and Psychometric Analysis.

Objective: The aim of this article is to refine and validate a new instrument, Nursing Informatics Competency Assessment for the Nurse Leader (NL).

Background: Because health information technology rapidly advances, the NL requires greater levels of informatics knowledge.

Methods: Item reduction and psychometric analysis methodology RESULTS: A total of 357 national NLs completed the survey. Exploratory factor analysis resulted in a final 6-factor solution that contained 26 items: (1) strategic implementation management, (2) advanced information management and education, (3) executive planning, (4) ethical and legal concepts, (5) information systems concepts, and (6) requirements and system selection. Cronbach's α were .96, .91, .90, .83, .92, .81, respectively.

Conclusion: We established a valid and reliable nursing informatics competency assessment instrument with sufficient specificity to guide NLs to recognize the competencies required in their role, create solutions to address potential gaps, and enhance delivery of patient care.