Measuring Knowledge and Confidence in Person‑Centred Catheter Care: Scale Development and Validation
Joan Ostaszkiewicz

Date and Time

Wednesday, November 11, 2026, 2:35 PM - 2:50 PM

Theme / Track

Service delivery, workforce and reform

Presentation Format

Concurrent

Introduction: The prevalence of indwelling urinary catheters (IDC) in residential aged care homes ranges from 2.2 % to 36.4%, with a median of 7.3 % (Czwikla et al., 2023). Although potentially beneficial, IDCs are associated with significant morbidity and mortality. As a component of a larger study to design and evaluate a person-centered IDC care bundle for use in Australian aged care homes, we designed new scales to measure nurses’ and personal care workers’ knowledge and confidence to provide person-centred, evidence-based IDC care. This presentation describes the development and validation of these scales. Methods: Baseline cross-sectional data from 150 nurses working in Australian residential aged care homes were analysed. Descriptive statistics were calculated for 23 confidence items. Construct validity was examined using exploratory factor analysis. Internal consistency was assessed with Cronbach’s alpha. Associations between working hours, knowledge scores, and confidence domains were explored, and principal component analysis (PCA) examined higher-order structure. Results: Mean confidence scores ranged from 3.07 to 3.84 (5-point scale). Highest confidence was reported for infection control, monitoring, and complication recognition, with lower confidence in advising on catheter alternatives and evidence-based decision-making. Factor analysis supported a three-factor structure explaining 69.87% of variance, with excellent internal consistency (α = .974). PCA indicated a single overarching confidence construct explaining 89.14% of variance. Knowledge and weekly working hours showed small but significant positive associations with selected domains. Conclusion: The IDC-IMPROVE Confidence Scale demonstrates strong reliability and construct validity, supporting its use to evaluate nursing confidence in person-centred evidence-based IDC care in residential aged care.

Keywords

Education and Training, Evidence Based Practice, Formal Caregivers, Implementation, Residential

Authors

Frances Batchelor; National Ageing Research Institute, Parkville, Victoria, Australia; The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
Andrew Gilbert; National Ageing Research Institute, Parkville, Victoria, Australia; La Trobe University, Bundoora, Victoria, Australia
Elizabeth Watt; National Ageing Research Institute, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
Caitlin Tay; National Ageing Research Institute, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
Joan Ostaszkiewicz; National Ageing Research Institute, Parkville, Victoria, Australia; The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia