Psychometric Properties of the Persian Version of the Delirium Care Self-Efficacy Scale for Intensive Care Unit Nurses: A Methodological Study.

AIM(S): Currently, no valid and reliable instrument exists in Persian to assess intensive care unit (ICU) nurses' self-efficacy in delirium care, which limits the ability to identify educational needs and evaluate targeted interventions in Iranian critical care settings. This study aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Persian version of the Delirium Care Self-Efficacy Scale (P-DCSE-I) for ICU nurses in Iran. DESIGN: A methodological study with a cross-sectional design. METHODS: The original scale was translated into Persian using a forward-backward method. Psychometric properties were assessed among 209 ICU nurses in Ardabil, Iran. Face and content validity were evaluated qualitatively and quantitatively. Construct validity was examined through Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA). Reliability was assessed using internal consistency and test-retest reliability. RESULTS: Qualitative face and content validity were confirmed following minor revisions. The Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) measure was 0.921, and Bartlett's Test of Sphericity was significant (χ2(78) = 1286.45, p < 0.001), confirming the adequacy of the data for factor analysis. EFA revealed a clear two-factor structure ("Confidence in delirium assessment," with 7 items, and "Confidence in delirium management," with 6 items), explaining 73.6% of the total variance. CFA confirmed the model with excellent goodness-of-fit indices (χ2/df = 2.341, CFI = 0.948, RMSEA = 0.047). The internal consistency was acceptable for the total scale (α = 0.86) and subscales (α = 0.82-0.85). The test-retest reliability was also excellent (ICC = 0.84). CONCLUSION: The P-DCSE-I demonstrates strong validity and reliability. It is a suitable instrument for measuring delirium care self-efficacy among ICU nurses in Iran and is useful for clinical assessment and research. IMPLICATIONS FOR THE PROFESSION AND/OR PATIENT CARE: This valid and reliable instrument enables the assessment of ICU nurses' confidence in delirium care, facilitating the identification of educational needs and the evaluation of targeted training interventions to improve patient safety and quality of care for critically ill patients with delirium. IMPACT: Currently, no valid and reliable instrument exists in Persian to assess ICU nurses' self-efficacy in delirium care, limiting the ability to identify educational needs and evaluate interventions in Iranian critical care settings. The Persian version of the DCSE-I demonstrated strong psychometric properties, including a two-factor structure, acceptable internal consistency, and acceptable test-retest reliability. This instrument will support ICU nurses, nurse educators, and researchers in Iran and other Persian-speaking populations by facilitating evidence-based assessment and improvement of delirium care practices. REPORTING METHOD: This study adhered to the Consensus-based Standards for the Selection of Health Measurement Instruments (COSMIN) checklist guidelines for study design and reporting. PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: A total of 209 ICU nurses participated in this study. No patients, service users, caregivers, or members of the public were involved in the design, conduct, analysis, interpretation, or preparation of this manuscript.