Measuring hygiene competence: the picture-based situational judgement test HygiKo

Abstract Background With the onset of COVID-19 pandemic at beginning 2020, crucial role hygiene in healthcare settings has once again become very clear. For diagnostic and for didactic purposes, standardized reliable tests suitable to assess competencies involved “working hygienically” are required. However, existing usually use self-report questionnaires, which suboptimal this purpose. In present study, we introduce newly developed, competence-oriented HygiKo test instrument focusing health-care professionals’ competence report empirical evidence regarding its psychometric properties. Methods is a Situational Judgement Test (SJT) competence. The HygiKo-test consists twenty pictures (items), each item presents only one unambiguous lapse. item, respondents asked (1) whether they recognize problem picture with respect guidelines and, (2) if yes, describe short verbal response. Our sample comprised n = 149 health care professionals (79.1 % female; age: M 26.7 years, SD 7.3 years) working as clinicians or nurses. written responses were rated by two independent raters high agreement (α > 0.80), indicating reliability measurement. We used Item Response Theory (IRT) further data analysis. Results IRT analyses that show it allows distinguish between persons demonstrating different levels ability seventeen items), especially range low medium person abilities. Hence, HygiKo-SJT get measure hygiene-competence. Conclusions form, can be medical students, doctors, nurses trainee cross-sectional measurements. order broaden difficulty spectrum current test, additional items higher should developed. designed helpful testing teaching hygienically. Further research validity needed.