Attitudes and practices towards vital signs monitoring on paediatric wards: Cross-validation of the Ped-V scale

To develop and psychometrically test an instrument measuring the attitudes and practices towards vital signs (VS) monitoring in nurses caring for children on paediatric wards (Ped-V scale). This is a multicentre cross-validation study with a cross-sectional design. The Ped-V scale was developed by adapting the V-scale to the paediatric context and administered to a convenience sample of clinical nurses working in paediatric wards from January to May 2020. The content validity of the Ped-V scale was evaluated by a group of 10 experts. The psychometric properties of the scale were tested through Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA). Overall, 10 Italian hospitals participated in the study, and 640 questionnaires were completed (87% female). At EFA a 30-item version of the scale and four factors emerged. This solution was confirmed at CFA: F1) ‘Inaccuracy of VS monitoring and workload’; F2) ‘Clinical competence and communication’; F3) ‘Standardization and protocol adherence’; F4) ‘Misconceptions about key indicators’. Cronbach's alpha ranged between 0.63 and 0.85. The Ped-V scale is valid and reliable for use in the paediatric context to identify barriers concerning nurses' self-efficacy, competences, and knowledge of clinical indicators of paediatric critical deterioration, attitudes towards accuracy, standardization, communication to senior team members and the appropriate use of technology in paediatric VS monitoring. The Ped-V scale may assist in identifying gaps in nurses' attitudes and devising strategies to change nurses' beliefs, knowledge, skills and decreasing individual, local cultural or organizational barriers towards VS monitoring. •Paediatric patients admitted to hospital wards are at risk of deterioration.•Nurses' attitudes and practices towards paediatric vital signs monitoring can vary.•The Ped-V scale was developed by adapting the V-scale to the paediatric context.•The Ped-V scale is valid and reliable for use in the paediatric hospital context.