Reliability and validity of the Japanese version of the Relational Coordination Scale

OBJECTIVES: The Relational Coordination Scale is used to measure teamwork with specific subjects about specific tasks. We translated the scale into Japanese (J-RCS) and examined its reliability and validity.

METHODS: We translated the scale into Japanese. In July 2013, we conducted an internet survey for 124 home visiting nurses of 11 agencies in Shiga prefecture. The J-RCS items asked about teamwork with physicians, care managers, and colleague nurses.

RESULTS: Eighty-one home visiting nurses (65.3%) answered the survey, and 70 (56.5% of the responders) answered the re-test survey. Cronbach's alpha coefficients of J-RCS were 0.770 to 0.859, and the intraclass correlation coefficients for test-retest reliability were 0.673 to 0.830 (P<0.001). In the confirmatory factor analysis, only J-RCS ［physicians］ met the well fit indices and showed factorial validity. Concurrent validity was supported by correlations of J-RCS and the degree of confidence about collaboration (r=0.559 to 0.585, P<0.001) and social support (r=0.549 to 0.789, P<0.001).

CONCLUSION: While issues such as factorial validity and the concentration of responses on some scale items will be a topic for further research, the J-RCS has been shown to have an acceptable level of reliability and validity.