Reliability and validity of critical care orientation tests.

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to establish the reliability and validity of the multiple choice orientation tests used in one critical care unit. A criterion-referenced measurement framework was used to develop 10 orientation tests covering five content areas, two tests for each content area. A sample of 40 critical care nurses (CCNS) and 31 medical-surgical nurses completed the tests. Standard reliability and validity measures were performed including: test-retest, parallel forms, construct and decision validity and item analysis. Parallel form correlations ranged from .46 to .90 (P < .05). Test-retest correlations ranged from .56 to .93 (P < .01). A significant (P < .01) difference was found between the scores of the critical care nurses and medical-surgical nurses for nine of the tests. Reliability and validity were supported for the tests. This study identifies one process that can be used in test development.