Development of a questionnaire to assess the factors associated with clinical learning of nursing students: A Delphi study

Inhibiting factors in clinical learning of nursing students cause a huge gap between the optimum and the current situation in performance of the graduates. Due to the lack of a comprehensive and reliable tool for the identification of these factors in Iran، this study aimed to develop a scale to assess the related items to nursing students’ clinical learning. This descriptive study used Delphi approach to assess factors associated with clinical learning of nursing students in nursing schools of Yazd province in 2013. The expert panel includes all registrars in nursing faculties، nursing clinical tutors، nursing personnel involved in education and years three and four nursing students. In the first round of Delphi، data collection tool was a structured questionnaire with 82 items and an open question for additional suggestions. Sampling method in those with responsibility was purposive، due to their limited number، and in other groups was random. Sample size was 48 of whom 41 agreed to participate in the study. According to the Delphi process، scope and scale of items were studied by 41 members of the panel to reach over than 75% consensus. The collected data were analyzed by SPSS V 17. 0 software using various analytic tests. Consensus on the questionnaire items was obtained during the two-round Delphi، and in the final questionnaire، the percentage of agreement between expert panel reached 79. 85%. Panel members came to agreement on factors associated with clinical learning questionnaire consisted 89 items in seven domains of educational planning (79. 94%)، evaluation (76. 21%)، resources and regulation of clinical environment (81. 17%)، professional communications (81. 25%)، clinical instructor (82/62)، clinical instructor teaching methods (81. 25%) and student learning (81. 91%). The clinical learning factors questionnaire for nursing students، with 79. 85% consensus of the expert panel، can be considered as a comprehensive and valid questionnaire to assess clinical training and to identify weaknesses and challenges of nursing students’ clinical learning in Iran.