Revision and psychometric testing of the safe administration of medications scale

Background and Purpose: This study describes revision and psychometric testing of the Safe Administration of Medications-Revised (SAM-R) scale. Methods: The SAM-R scale was revised and tested to assess Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) students' readiness to safely deliver medications through simulated case studies and associated vignettes. Subjects were junior- and senior-level BSN students (N = 227) from a large Midwestern university. Both classical testing and item response theory (IRT) were used to analyze item and group results. Results: Face, content, and construct validity were assessed. Internal consistency reliability of the scale was .736. IRT provided item-level information, using a one-parameter logistic model, but the sample size was inadequate for testing more complex models. Conclusion: Evidence was obtained for reliability, face, content, and construct validity. Further revisions, and a larger sample size, are warranted.