Purpose:The aim of this study was to evaluate the validity and reliability of the short-version for clinical nurses on a communication competence scale developed to measure the communication competence of clinical nurses.

Methods:Data were collected from 396 clinical nurses who work at general hospitals in Korea. The original version of the Communication Ability Scale was shorted and content, construct, item-convergent/discriminant, convergent validity and also internal consistency and test-retest reliability were evaluated. Data were analyzed using exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, Pearsons's correlation coefficient and Cronbach’s ⍺.

Results:As a result of item analysis and exploratory factor analysis, 5 subscales and a total of 20 items were derived. The confirmatory factor analysis showed adequate model fit indices (Normed x2=1.88, RMR=.04, RMSEA=.07, GFI=.87, CFI=.90, TLI=.87, IFI=.89). The items convergence and discrimination validity were verified using the Average Variance Extracted (.50~.56), composite reliability (.76~.86) and Φ±2SE (.42~.99). Convergent validity was demonstrated using Korean Version of Self-Efficacy Questionnaire (r=.59, p<.001). Internal consistency reliability and test-retest reliability were found to be acceptable, as indicated by a Cronbach’s ⍺ of .65~.79 and an intra-class correlation coefficient of .82~.90. The validity and reliability of the scale were verified.

Conclusion:The NACCS is a valid and reliable instrument for measuring communication competence for clinical nurses in Korea.