Development of Paediatric‐Friendly Care Assessment Scale in Emergency Department: A Cross‐Sectional Study

ABSTRACT

Aim

To validate the psychometric properties of the Paediatric-Friendly Care Assessment Scale in the Emergency Department (PFCAS-ED) among clinical nurses.

Design

A cross-sectional study.

Methods

A total of 463 emergency nurses participated in the study between May and September 2023. The participants were randomly divided into two groups to assess the psychometric properties of the PFCAS-ED, including its reliability, construct validity, convergent validity, discriminant validity, and criterion-related validity.

Results

Exploratory factor analysis on data from the first group revealed six components of the PFCAS-ED: paediatric/adolescent timely care and resources, child protection mechanisms and safety, paediatric emergency care competency training and practice, paediatric emergency consultation information and space, paediatric crisis management and response, and a harmless environment and actions for toddlers. These factors explained 69.408% of the total variance and exhibited strong internal consistency. This six-factor structure and its 28 items were further validated using confirmatory factor analysis on data from the second group, yielding satisfactory fit indices and convergent and discriminant validity. Additionally, the scale exhibited excellent 2-week test–retest reliability and criterion-related validity.

Conclusion

The PFCAS-ED had excellent psychometric properties when used with clinical nurses and was proven to be a reliable instrument for evaluating emergency nurses' perceptions of the importance of providing paediatric-friendly care to children and their families.

Implications for the Profession and Patient Care

This standardised scale enables nurses to assess their perceptions of the importance of paediatric-friendly care and design targeted interventions on the basis of available resources. Additionally, hospital administrators can use the PFCAS-ED to identify priorities, strengths, and areas requiring improvement in paediatric emergency care, thereby informing the development of effective strategies and comprehensive policies.

Reporting Method

This study adhered to the STROBE guidelines.

Patient or Public Contribution

No patient or public involvement.