Reliability and Validity of the Alberta Context Tool (ACT) with Professional Nurses: Findings from a Multi-Study Analysis.

Abstract

Although organizational context is central to evidence-based practice, underdeveloped measurement hinders its assessment. The Alberta Context Tool, comprised of 59 items that tap 10 modifiable contextual concepts, was developed to address this gap. The purpose of this study to examine the reliability and validity of scores obtained when the Alberta Context Tool is completed by professional nurses across different healthcare settings. Five separate studies (N = 2361 nurses across different care settings) comprised the study sample. Reliability and validity were assessed. Cronbach's alpha exceeded 0.70 for 9/10 Alberta Context Tool concepts. Item-total correlations exceeded acceptable standards for 56/59 items. Confirmatory Factor Analyses coordinated acceptably with the Alberta Context Tool's proposed latent structure. The mean values for each Alberta Context Tool concept increased from low to high levels of research utilization(as hypothesized) further supporting its validity. This study provides robust evidence for reliability and validity of scores obtained with the Alberta Context Tool when administered to professional nurses.