Psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the quality of nursing care scale among hospital nurses: a bifactor exploratory structural equation modeling analysis

Abstract Background Nurses play an indispensable role in healthcare teams. The quality of nursing care reflects nurses’ ability to integrate care and their overall performance in patient care, making it a core objective of clinical nursing. The Chinese version of the Quality of Nursing Care (QNC) sc...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Chiu-Shu Fang, Cheng-Hsien Li, Shu-Ching Ma, Fang-Ming Hwang, Maria Manuela Martins, Fan-Hao Chou
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMC 2025-03-01
Series:BMC Nursing
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-025-03012-0
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1849764860891496448
author Chiu-Shu Fang
Cheng-Hsien Li
Shu-Ching Ma
Fang-Ming Hwang
Maria Manuela Martins
Fan-Hao Chou
author_facet Chiu-Shu Fang
Cheng-Hsien Li
Shu-Ching Ma
Fang-Ming Hwang
Maria Manuela Martins
Fan-Hao Chou
author_sort Chiu-Shu Fang
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Background Nurses play an indispensable role in healthcare teams. The quality of nursing care reflects nurses’ ability to integrate care and their overall performance in patient care, making it a core objective of clinical nursing. The Chinese version of the Quality of Nursing Care (QNC) scale is a multidimensional assessment tool used for self-evaluation of nursing care quality and holds significant importance in clinical practice. This study aimed to assess the reliability and validity of the Chinese version of the QNC scale among nurses. Methods This was an observational, cross-sectional, methodological study conducted at three hospitals in southern Taiwan. The 25-item Chinese version of the QNC scale was employed in the study. Data were collected from 944 nurses (response rate: 65.42%) through an online survey conducted between July and August 2022. The factor structure of the QNC scale was evaluated using confirmatory factor analysis (unidimensional, independent cluster model, higher-order, and bifactor) and first-order, higher-order, and bifactor ESEM. Model comparisons were conducted to determine the best-fitting factor structure. Results The bifactor ESEM provided the best fit for the QNC scale, consisting of a general QNC factor and seven specific factors: patient satisfaction, health promotion, complication prevention, well-being and self-care, functional readaptation, nursing care organization, and responsibility and rigor. Some items exhibited significant cross-loadings, highlighting the model’s ability to capture the multidimensional nature of nursing care quality. Conclusions The bifactor ESEM model demonstrated the best model fit for the Chinese version of the QNC scale, offering a reliable and interpretable representation of the multidimensional nature of nursing care. The validated scale provides a valuable tool for assessing nursing care quality in clinical practice.
format Article
id doaj-art-1d2a94f49e1d4170aa9e53cc28c67548
institution DOAJ
issn 1472-6955
language English
publishDate 2025-03-01
publisher BMC
record_format Article
series BMC Nursing
spelling doaj-art-1d2a94f49e1d4170aa9e53cc28c675482025-08-20T03:05:00ZengBMCBMC Nursing1472-69552025-03-0124111310.1186/s12912-025-03012-0Psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the quality of nursing care scale among hospital nurses: a bifactor exploratory structural equation modeling analysisChiu-Shu Fang0Cheng-Hsien Li1Shu-Ching Ma2Fang-Ming Hwang3Maria Manuela Martins4Fan-Hao Chou5Department of Nursing, Chi-Mei Medical CenterInstitute of Human Resource Management, National Sun Yat-sen UniversityDepartment of Nursing, Chi-Mei Medical CenterDepartment of Education, National Chiayi UniversityAbel Salazar Biomedical Sciences Institute, University of PortoCollege of Nursing, Kaohsiung Medical UniversityAbstract Background Nurses play an indispensable role in healthcare teams. The quality of nursing care reflects nurses’ ability to integrate care and their overall performance in patient care, making it a core objective of clinical nursing. The Chinese version of the Quality of Nursing Care (QNC) scale is a multidimensional assessment tool used for self-evaluation of nursing care quality and holds significant importance in clinical practice. This study aimed to assess the reliability and validity of the Chinese version of the QNC scale among nurses. Methods This was an observational, cross-sectional, methodological study conducted at three hospitals in southern Taiwan. The 25-item Chinese version of the QNC scale was employed in the study. Data were collected from 944 nurses (response rate: 65.42%) through an online survey conducted between July and August 2022. The factor structure of the QNC scale was evaluated using confirmatory factor analysis (unidimensional, independent cluster model, higher-order, and bifactor) and first-order, higher-order, and bifactor ESEM. Model comparisons were conducted to determine the best-fitting factor structure. Results The bifactor ESEM provided the best fit for the QNC scale, consisting of a general QNC factor and seven specific factors: patient satisfaction, health promotion, complication prevention, well-being and self-care, functional readaptation, nursing care organization, and responsibility and rigor. Some items exhibited significant cross-loadings, highlighting the model’s ability to capture the multidimensional nature of nursing care quality. Conclusions The bifactor ESEM model demonstrated the best model fit for the Chinese version of the QNC scale, offering a reliable and interpretable representation of the multidimensional nature of nursing care. The validated scale provides a valuable tool for assessing nursing care quality in clinical practice.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-025-03012-0Bifactor modelChineseConfirmatory factor analysis (CFA)Exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM)HospitalNurses
spellingShingle Chiu-Shu Fang
Cheng-Hsien Li
Shu-Ching Ma
Fang-Ming Hwang
Maria Manuela Martins
Fan-Hao Chou
Psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the quality of nursing care scale among hospital nurses: a bifactor exploratory structural equation modeling analysis
BMC Nursing
Bifactor model
Chinese
Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA)
Exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM)
Hospital
Nurses
title Psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the quality of nursing care scale among hospital nurses: a bifactor exploratory structural equation modeling analysis
title_full Psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the quality of nursing care scale among hospital nurses: a bifactor exploratory structural equation modeling analysis
title_fullStr Psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the quality of nursing care scale among hospital nurses: a bifactor exploratory structural equation modeling analysis
title_full_unstemmed Psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the quality of nursing care scale among hospital nurses: a bifactor exploratory structural equation modeling analysis
title_short Psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the quality of nursing care scale among hospital nurses: a bifactor exploratory structural equation modeling analysis
title_sort psychometric properties of the chinese version of the quality of nursing care scale among hospital nurses a bifactor exploratory structural equation modeling analysis
topic Bifactor model
Chinese
Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA)
Exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM)
Hospital
Nurses
url https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-025-03012-0
work_keys_str_mv AT chiushufang psychometricpropertiesofthechineseversionofthequalityofnursingcarescaleamonghospitalnursesabifactorexploratorystructuralequationmodelinganalysis
AT chenghsienli psychometricpropertiesofthechineseversionofthequalityofnursingcarescaleamonghospitalnursesabifactorexploratorystructuralequationmodelinganalysis
AT shuchingma psychometricpropertiesofthechineseversionofthequalityofnursingcarescaleamonghospitalnursesabifactorexploratorystructuralequationmodelinganalysis
AT fangminghwang psychometricpropertiesofthechineseversionofthequalityofnursingcarescaleamonghospitalnursesabifactorexploratorystructuralequationmodelinganalysis
AT mariamanuelamartins psychometricpropertiesofthechineseversionofthequalityofnursingcarescaleamonghospitalnursesabifactorexploratorystructuralequationmodelinganalysis
AT fanhaochou psychometricpropertiesofthechineseversionofthequalityofnursingcarescaleamonghospitalnursesabifactorexploratorystructuralequationmodelinganalysis