Development and psychometric testing of a clinical reasoning rubric based on the nursing process

BackgroundTo facilitate the development of clinical reasoning skills in nursing students, educators must possess the ability to teach and evaluate them. This study aimed to describe the development and validation process of an analytic rubric of clinical reasoning skills based on the nursing process in undergraduate nursing students.MethodsA seven-step method was used for rubric development. The initial validation process of the rubric of clinical reasoning was performed with the participation of key stakeholders to assess its face and content validity as well as applicability in the classroom and bedside. An initial pilot test was performed based on scenario-based examinations in the nursing process training course so that convergent validity was used to show how closely the new scale is related to the previous measure for evaluating students' tasks. Internal consistency and inter-rater correlation coefficient measurement for reliability were assessed.ResultsThe rubric to assess clinical reasoning skills was developed into eight categories according to the five stages of the nursing process. Content and face validity of the rubric were done qualitatively and resulted in a clear, simple rubric relevant to clinical reasoning skills assessment. The convergent validity was confirmed by the conventional method. The reliability was approved by a high inter-rater correlation coefficient based on the assessment by two random independent raters.ConclusionThe clinical reasoning meta-rubric developed in this study meets the purpose of the study. This analytical rubric can be applied to guide teaching and learning as well as evaluate clinical reasoning based on the findings. Testing the applicability confirmed its validity and reliability for assessing clinical reasoning skills in nursing process education during the undergraduate nursing program.

Automated summary

This study developed and validated an analytical rubric for assessing clinical reasoning skills based on the nursing process in undergraduate nursing students. The rubric was qualitatively assessed for face and content validity and was found to be clear and relevant for assessing clinical reasoning skills. Convergent validity was confirmed using a scenario-based examination, and reliability was demonstrated by a high inter-rater correlation coefficient. The developed rubric can be utilized for teaching, learning, and evaluating clinical reasoning skills in nursing process education.