Questionnaire for Assessing Social Contacts of Nurses Who Worked with Coronavirus Patients during the First Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

(1) Background: The aim of the present study was to develop and validate the psychometric characteristics of a scale measuring nurses’ experiences working with COVID-19 patients. (2) Methods: The participants were 180 Croatian nurses who worked in departments with COVID-19 patients, with a mean age of 36.8 years (ranging from 20 to 48). Research was conducted from March to June 2020. For the purpose of constructing the scale, 10 statements were developed. Factor analysis was used to determine the factor structure and construct validity of the scale. (3) Results: The scale consisted of nine statements divided into a three-factor structure: factor I—stigmatization and mistrusting (four items), factor II—social distancing (four items), and factor III—fear of infection (two items). Cronbach α was calculated to confirm the reliability of the scale: factor I—α = 0.80, factor II—α = 0.76, and factor III—α = 0.70. (4) Conclusion: The nurses’ pandemic-related experiences scale showed good psychometric properties and can be applied in future research as a standardized tool for measuring health care workers’ experience during COVID-19 or other infectious crises.