Psychometric testing of the Chinese National Health Service Sustainability Model as an instrument to assess innovation in Chinese nursing settings

ObjectivesTo conduct psychometric testing of the Chinese version of the National Health Service Sustainability Model as an instrument to assess the sustainability of innovation in the Chinese nursing setting.BackgroundEvidence-based practice is recognized worldwide as a way to improve the quality of healthcare; however, many evidence-based practice programmes decline over time and do not sustain the benefits of their improvements. A sustainability assessment tool is used internationally but its use has not been validated in China.DesignA methodological study to test instrument validity and reliability.MethodsThe data collection was conducted from 15 June 2022 to 31 August 2022. The internal consistency of the Chinese version of the sustainability model was measured with Cronbach's alpha. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to test the model's structural validity.ResultsFour hundred eighty-three questionnaires were returned, of which 478 were valid. The short time taken to evaluate the Chinese version of the sustainability model demonstrated its efficiency and ability to adapt to a busy clinical environment. The confirmatory factor analysis showed a good fit model and supported the convergence validity of the sustainability model. The Cronbach's alpha coefficient was 0.905 for the total scale, which indicated good internal consistency.ConclusionsThe results of this study suggest that the Chinese version of the sustainability model is a valid, reliable and efficient tool for measuring the sustainability of evidence-based practices in Chinese nursing settings. What is already known about this topic?As evidence-based care grows in China, there are increasing numbers of programmes for evidence-based practice.Evidence-based practice leaders in China are currently focused on the implementation of evidence, with little focus on the maintenance of evidence after implementation.There is a lack of tools to assess the sustainability of evidence-based practice in China.What this paper adds?This study further validates and refines the National Health Service Sustainability Model (NHS SM) in China's busy, centralized and paternalistic nursing clinical settings.Bridges the gap in sustainability assessment tools in China by introducing an evidence-based practice sustainability assessment tool and further validating and refining the model in busy, centralized and paternalistic nursing clinical settings.The implications of this paper:Provide support to nursing professionals when selecting tools to assess the sustainability of evidence-based practice in order to promote programme maintenance, avoid wasted upfront resource investment and achieve long-term programme benefits.Provide a reference for professionals in other countries to introduce sustainability assessment tools.