BACKGROUND: Measuring unfinished nursing care (UNC) with valid and reliable instruments is essential for identifying systemic issues and improving patient safety and outcomes. The Unfinished Nursing Care Survey (UNCS) was developed as a comprehensive, valid, and reliable tool. This study aimed to examine the validity and reliability of the Turkish version of the UNCS (UNCS-TR). METHODS: This validation study established the linguistic equivalence of the UNCS-TR using the translation and back-translation method. Content validity was evaluated based on expert opinions. Construct validity, internal consistency, hypothesis testing, and criterion validity were examined among 422 nurses in accordance with the Consensus-based Standards for the Selection of Health Measurement Instruments (COSMIN) guidelines. RESULTS: The overall content validity index of the UNCS-TR was 0.98. Mokken Scale Analysis for Part A demonstrated strong scalability (H = 0.616) and excellent internal consistency (Molenaar-Sijtsma statistic = 0.966; Cronbach's alpha = 0.964; Guttman's lambda 2 = 0.965). All 21 items reflecting elements of unfinished care loaded onto a unidimensional structure in Part A. For Part B, which measures reasons for UNC, confirmatory factor analysis supported an 18-item, six-factor structure with acceptable to good fit indices and excellent internal consistency (Cronbach's α = 0.950). Nurses with greater professional experience reported significantly lower perceptions of UNC. No significant differences were found between bedside nurses and nurse managers. Nurses over 30 years of age perceived significantly fewer instances of UNC compared to younger nurses, and intensive care nurses reported significantly fewer instances than those working in medical-surgical units. CONCLUSION: The Turkish version of the UNCS (UNCS-TR) is a valid and reliable instrument for measuring UNC.
Özsaban et al. (2026) studied this question.