Development of the Nurses’ Attitude Scale Toward the Risks in the Work Environment

Background: Healthcare services, especially hospital environments, are considered to be “very hazardous” and risky work environments. Some problems related to employee health that arise due to the risks encountered in hospitals reduce job productivity, and cause financial loss, increased accidents while putting patients receiving care at risk.

Aim: This study aimed to develop a valid and reliable measurement instrument to determine nurses’ attitude toward the risks in the work environment.

Method: It is a methodological study conducted with 504 nurses working in a university hospital, a Ministry of Health hospital and 2 private hospitals. The data were collected using the 8-question Personal Information Form and the 63-item draft version of “Nurses” Attitudes toward Work Environment Risks Scale.” Descriptive statistics, Pearson’s correlation, Cronbach’s alpha internal consistency, Exploratory Factor Analysis, Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA), t-test, and Intraclass Correlation Coefficient analysis were used to evaluate data.

Results: As a result of the item total score correlation analysis, the draft scale was reduced to 43 items with values <.40. Then, as a result of exploratory and CFA, it was seen that the scale had 2 factor structure divided into subscales as “institutional approach” and “individual approach.” Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was found 0.94 for the overall scale, while it was 0.94 for the institutional approach subscale and 0.88 for the individual approach subscale. The scale is a 5-point Likert scale and higher scores indicate a positive attitude.

Conclusion: In this study, it was determined that the “Nurses’ Attitudes toward Work Environment Risks Scale” is a valid and reliable measurement instrument, and it can be used to determine the attitudes of nurses working in hospitals.