Translation and psychometric testing of the Icelandic version of the MISSCARE Survey

BackgroundMissed nursing care, required standard care that is not provided, is a relatively new concept in nursing, and prior to this study, it had not been discussed in Iceland. AimTo successfully translate the MISSCARE Survey from US English to Icelandic. MethodThe translation and psychometric testing of the MISSCARE Survey-Icelandic was completed in six steps: (1) forward translation, (2) revision of the translation, (3) back-translation, (4) revision of the back-translation, (5) pilot-testing, (6) data collection and psychometric testing. Back-translation included work of linguists, clinicians and scholars in the original and target country. Psychometric testing was completed on data from a pilot-test and a national study. The target population was nursing staff providing patient care in medical, surgical and intensive care units in hospitals in Iceland. Pilot study data were collected in November-December 2011, and data for the national study were collected in March-April 2012. The MISSCARE Survey asks about missed nursing care activities (part A), and reasons for missed nursing care (part B), besides demographic and background questions. ResultsResponse rate for the pilot study was 57% (67/118), and for the national study, it was 69% (599/864) with good acceptability. Overall test-retest Pearson's correlation coefficient for part A was 0.782 (p<0.001) and 0.530 (p<0.05) for part B. Cronbach's alpha reliability coefficient for the overall part B and subscales ranged from 0.795-0.894. Confirmatory factor analysis for part B indicated a good model fit to the three factors: Communication, Material resources and Labour resources. ConclusionThe MISSCARE Survey was successfully translated from US English to Icelandic, using a stringent back-translation method. The Icelandic version tested reliable and valid. This study supports global use of the MISSCARE Survey.