IPNG Transcultural Adaptation Brazil
This study by Tono R. (2015) presents the transcultural adaptation of the Index of Professional Nursing Governance (IPNG) for use in Brazil, validating its applicability in the Brazilian healthcare context.
Tono R. (2015). Professional Nursing Governance: A qualitative systemic review and transcultural adaptation from the Index of Professional Nursing Governance for use in Brazil. Federal University of Santa Catalina. (Portuguese)
Understanding Professional Governance and the IPNG
Professional governance in nursing functions as a model and structure of organizational management that gives nurses more control over decisions in their professional practice. As a result, it contributes to greater autonomy in practice as well. In 1994, Dr. Robert Hess, a North American researcher, created the Index of Professional Nursing Governance (IPNG) to measure professional governance. The IPNG contains 86 items divided into six subscales: control over personnel, access to information, influence over resources supporting practice, ability to participate, control over practice, and the ability to set goals and resolve conflict.
The IPNG measures the type of professional governance in a hospital, with scores varying between 86 and 430 points. A five-point Likert scale is used for answering item questions. Low scores identify a traditional management model where managers make decisions without staff participation. In contrast, high scores indicate a shared governance or self-governed model where staff make decisions exclusively. Middle scores reflect shared governance, meaning managers and staff share decision-making.
Study Goals and Methods
Researchers have used the IPNG widely in the USA for more than 20 years to measure shared governance. Furthermore, shared governance is gaining ground internationally as it relates to greater satisfaction and retention of nurses. The goal of this study was to demonstrate the relationships between experiences and management practices of Brazilian nurses and professional nursing governance in the hospital environment. Additionally, the researchers sought to complete a transcultural adaptation of the IPNG to the Brazilian Portuguese language. The ethics committee of the Federal University of Santa Catarina approved the research project (CAAE:38860614.5.0000.0114). An underlying assumption of this study is that the theoretical framework of professional nursing governance relates to nursing management in a Brazilian context.
Research Process
The team conducted research in two phases: a qualitative and systematic review of literature, followed by a methodological study of the IPNG’s transcultural adaptation. During the systematic review, the researchers analyzed 1,446 articles from PUBMED, LILACS, BDENF, and SCIELO. They read and critically evaluated articles based on the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP), then systematized the data on the analysis category. Data extraction drew on the professional nursing governance model, and the findings after extraction pointed to quantitative order synthesis.
Transcultural Adaptation and Results
The transcultural adaptation involved several phases: initial translation, synthesis of translation, back translation, synthesis of back translation, jury committee review, and pretest. Throughout all phases, the IPNG author remained informed about the suggested changes. The team conducted the pretest at the University Hospital, Prof. Polydoro Ernani de São Thiago, in Florianópolis city, state of Santa Catarina in Brazil. They applied the instrument to a random sample of 52 nurses and then submitted the data to statistical analysis using the software Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS), version 13.0. The statistical data showed a Cronbach correlation coefficient of 0.9, indicating an adequate internal confidence level. Consequently, the researchers concluded that the IPNG is likely to succeed in Brazil. However, full validation of the IPNG in Brazil will require a larger sample with subsequent psychometric analysis.