Development of a New Measure to Assess Primary Palliative Care Perceived Competence

Background Many nursing schools have begun to address the gap in palliative care education. Recently released entry-to-practice competencies in palliative care can guide educators as they incorporate such material into their curriculum. In an effort to evaluate learning, educators need a reliable instrument that aligns with the updated competencies. Purpose This article describes the development of a new instrument to evaluate perceived competence to provide primary palliative care. Methods The psychometric properties and performance of the new instrument in evaluating perceived competence were tested via an interprofessional palliative care simulation with medical, nursing, and social work students. Perceived competence was measured before and after the simulation. Results The new instrument demonstrates strong reliability and validity, represents a unidimensional construct, and captures changes in perceived competence across time and disciplines. Conclusions The new instrument is acceptable for assessing perceived competence to provide palliative care, particularly for nursing students.