title: The development and empirical validation of the Q-PDN: a questionnaire measuring continuing professional development of nurses.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Although separate studies among nurses have been conducted into their continuing professional development (CPD) motives, importance attached to CPD, conditions deemed needed for CPD, and actual CPD activities undertaken, these variables have not yet been investigated at the same time, on the same sample.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study is to report on the development and initial psychometric testing of the Q-PDN, a questionnaire measuring several aspects of CPD among nurses.
  
  
  METHODS
  Based on a survey administered to 1329 nurses in hospitals in the Netherlands, a multi-dimensional instrument for CPD was validated. The constructs 'CPD motives', 'CPD importance', 'CPD conditions', and 'CPD activities undertaken' were established through factor analyses.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Reliability analyses showed satisfactory to good Cronbach's alpha scores on all factors, ranging from .70 to .89.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Using this instrument can stimulate and support CPD of nurses, which has been shown to contribute to increasing the quality of care. Human resource development (HRD) professionals, educators in healthcare, and managers can use this questionnaire to gain insight in the extent to which nurses undertake CPD activities, in the importance they attribute to CPD activities, in the conditions they deem necessary to participate in CPD, and in the motives that they have to engage in CPD.
authors.affiliation: Department of Research and Education, University Hospital Erasmus MC, 3015 GD Rotterdam, Netherlands. Electronic address: g.brekelmans@erasmusmc.nl.
authors.forename: Gerard
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Brekelmans
authors.affiliation: Department of Research and Education, University Hospital Erasmus MC, 3015 GD Rotterdam, Netherlands.
authors.forename: Susanne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Maassen
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Resource Studies, Tilburg University, Netherlands.
authors.forename: Rob F
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: Poell
authors.affiliation: HRM and Healthcare Research Group, Erasmus University, 3062 PA Rotterdam, Netherlands.
authors.forename: Kees
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: van Wijk
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D004509:Education, Nursing, Continuing; D004521:Educational Measurement; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015233:Models, Statistical; D009426:Netherlands; D009726:Nurses; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000379:methods*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Continuing professional development; Instrument development; Nurses; Psychometric validation; Questionnaire