{ "abstract": "Background: Reliable and culturally adapted instruments are essential for assessing the quality of palliative nursing care. The Palliative Nursing Care Quality Scale (PNCQS) had not been psychometrically evaluated in Iran. This study aimed to translate the PNCQS into Persian and examine its validity and reliability among Iranian nurses. Methods: In this methodological study, the PNCQS was translated into Persian according to the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines. A total of 620 nurses from oncology and intensive care units in teaching hospitals in Tehran, Tabriz, and Ardabil were recruited using a multi stage cluster sampling strategy with convenience sampling at the final stage. Face, content, and construct validity were evaluated. Construct validity was examined by first testing the original one-factor model using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), followed by exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and cross-validation of the derived factor structure using CFA on an independent sample. CFA was conducted in AMOS using maximum likelihood estimation with bootstrapping (1,000 resamples). Reliability was assessed by internal consistency (Cronbach’s α) and two-week test–retest reliability using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). Results: The scale showed excellent content validity (S-CVI = 0.99). The initial CFA demonstrated that the original 20-item unidimensional model did not adequately fit the Iranian data. Subsequent EFA identified a four-factor structure—Family-Centered Care, Empathic and Spiritual Care, Hope and Life Review, and Physical Symptom Management—explaining 51.41% of the total variance. This structure was confirmed by CFA in an independent sample (n = 400), demonstrating good model fit (χ²/df = 2.84, CFI = 0.95, TLI = 0.95, RMSEA = 0.06). Composite reliability exceeded 0.70 for all factors. Although the AVE for Family-Centered Care was slightly below the recommended threshold (0.42), its composite reliability was acceptable (0.81), and discriminant validity was established for all constructs. Cronbach’s α was 0.92 for the total scale (subscales: 0.76–0.83), and the two-week test–retest ICC was 0.76. Conclusion: The Persian PNCQS demonstrated satisfactory psychometric properties and a culturally appropriate four-factor structure for assessing the quality of palliative nursing care among Iranian nurses. It provides a reliable multidimensional instrument for clinical practice, research, and quality improvement initiatives in palliative care.", "abstract_shown": true, "affiliations": [ "Department of Medical-Surgical Nursing, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Ardabil University of Medical Sciences, Ardabil, Iran", "School of Nursing and Midwifery, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran", "Department of Medical-Surgical Nursing, Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran", "School of Nursing & Midwifery, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran", "Nursing and Midwifery Care Research Center, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran" ], "article_type": "Research Article", "arxiv": null, "author_total": 6, "authors": [ { "affs": [ 0 ], "name": "Mehraban Shahmari" }, { "affs": [ 1 ], "name": "Sevda Gardashkhani" }, { "affs": [ 2 ], "name": "Elaheh Habibpour" }, { "affs": [ 0 ], "name": "Ehsan Kamalifar" }, { "affs": [ 3 ], "name": "Nahid Dehghan Nayeri" }, { "affs": [ 4 ], "name": "Mehran Zare" } ], "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/fc32e02pbqw6x.bib", "cited_by": 0, "doi": "10.1371/journal.pone.0361384", "fulltext_url": null, "id": "fc32e02pbqw6x", "issns": [ "1932-6203" ], "landing_url": "https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0361384", "language": null, "licence": "CC-BY-4.0", "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0", "licence_source": "journal", "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "metadata_licence": null, "native_subjects": [ [ "plos", "/Biology and life sciences/Psychology/Psychometrics" ], [ "plos", "/Medicine and health sciences/Health care/Health care facilities/Hospitals/Intensive care units" ], [ "plos", "/Medicine and health sciences/Health care/Health care providers/Nurses" ], [ "plos", "/Medicine and health sciences/Health care/Nursing science" ], [ "plos", "/Medicine and health sciences/Health care/Palliative care" ], [ "plos", "/Medicine and health sciences/Oncology" ], [ "plos", "/People and places/Geographical locations/Asia/Iran" ], [ "plos", "/People and places/Population groupings/Professions/Medical personnel/Nurses" ], [ "plos", "/Physical sciences/Mathematics/Statistics/Statistical methods/Factor analysis" ], [ "plos", "/Research and analysis methods/Mathematical and statistical techniques/Statistical methods/Factor analysis" ], [ "plos", "/Social sciences/Psychology/Psychometrics" ] ], "openalex": null, "pdf_url": null, "pmcid": null, "pmid": null, "published": "2026-11-04", "publisher": "Public Library of Science", "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/fc32e02pbqw6x.ris", "sources": [ { "first_seen": "2026-11-05T12:20:11Z", "native_id": "10.1371/journal.pone.0361384", "source": "plos", "url": "https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0361384" } ], "subjects": [ { "field": "mathematics", "origin": "plos:statistical methods", "subfield": "statistics" }, { "field": "medicine", "origin": "plos:oncology", "subfield": "oncology" } ], "title": "Psychometric evaluation of the Palliative Nursing Care Quality Scale (PNCQS) among ICU and oncology nurses in Iran", "title_text": "Psychometric evaluation of the Palliative Nursing Care Quality Scale (PNCQS) among ICU and oncology nurses in Iran", "type": "peer-reviewed", "updated_at": "2026-11-06T12:20:43Z", "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/fc32e02pbqw6x", "venue": "PLOS One", "versions": [] }