Validation of the Perception of eHealth Technology Scale in Chinese Brief (PETS-C Brief) in nurses: factor analysis, validity, and reliability (Preprint)

BACKGROUND eHealth technologies have shown promise in improving the accessibility and quality of nursing research and practice. Less is known about nurses' perceptions of eHealth technology that are prerequisites for the implementation of eHealth-based care and studies. OBJECTIVE To validate the Perception of eHealth Technology Scale in Chinese Brief (PETS-C Brief) in Chinese nurses. METHODS Participants were 1409 nurses (96.8% female; mean age [SD] 34.6 [8.6] years). Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) verified the previously reported four-factor structure of PETS-C Brief. Convergent validity was examined by analyzing correlations with scores of the General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSE) and Information Literacy Scale (ILS). Known-group validity and test-retest reliability were also assessed. Cronbach's α was calculated for internal consistency reliability. Sociodemographic and working-related characteristics were analyzed. RESULTS The goodness-of-fit of the four-factor PETS-C Brief was acceptable (CFI =0.933, SRMR=0.064, RMSEA=0.085). Internal consistency was good (Cronbach's α=0.912). The scale showed stable test-retest reliability over 1 month (intraclass correlation coefficient=0.684, 95% CI: 0.548, 0.778). Good convergent validity was demonstrated by positive correlations with scores on the GSE (r=0.25, P<0.001) and ILS (r=0.56, P<0.001). Known-group validity was supported by higher PETS-C Brief scores observed in younger age (P=0.006) and higher educational attainment (P=0.023). No significant associations were observed between working-related characteristics and PETS-C Brief score. CONCLUSIONS The satisfactory validity and reliability suggested the PETS-C Brief could be deployed for assessing perception of eHealth technology in Chinese nurses. Studies in large and random samples and in other cultural settings are warranted to increase the generalizability of our results.