# Cross-cultural adaptation and psychometric evaluation of the individual workload perception scale-revised (IWPS-R) in Spanish nurses

## TL;DR

This study adapts and validates a workload perception scale for Spanish nurses, showing it is reliable and useful for improving healthcare management.

## Contribution

The paper presents a validated Spanish version of the IWPS-R with strong psychometric properties for nursing professionals.

## Key findings

- The Spanish IWPS-R (IWPS-R-ES) has 25 items grouped into five factors with strong model fit (CFI = 0.985, RMSEA = 0.052).
- The scale shows high internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha: 0.81–0.93) and discriminant validity.
- It effectively distinguishes between different dimensions of workload perception among Spanish nurses.

## Abstract

To adapt the Individual Workload Perception Scale-Revised (IWPS-R) into Spanish and evaluate its psychometric properties among nursing professionals.

We performed a cross-cultural adaptation following Beaton’s protocol, including translation, back-translation, and expert committee review. A multicenter study was conducted with 305 nurses from two Spanish hospitals. We employed Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) using the robust Diagonally Weighted Least Squares (DWLS) estimator on a polychoric correlation matrix to address the ordinal nature of the data.

The final Spanish version (IWPS-R-ES) resulted in 25 items distributed across five factors: Peer Support, Unit Support, Manager Support, Workload, and Intent to Stay. The CFA supported a robust model fit: Comparative Fit Index (CFI) = 0.985, Tucker-Lewis Index (TLI) = 0.982, and Root Mean Square Error of Approximation (RMSEA) = 0.052. Standardized factor loadings exceeding 0.4 confirmed the convergent validity after removing one item with insufficient shared variance. Reliability analysis demonstrated high internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha: 0.81–0.93; McDonald’s omega: 0.82–0.94). Correlation patterns supported the discriminant validity, confirming the scale accurately distinguishes between different dimensions of workload perception.

The IWPS-R-ES is a valid and reliable 25-item instrument for assessing subjective workload among Spanish-speaking nurses. It provides healthcare managers with a rigorous tool to identify organizational stressors and implement strategies to improve nurse well-being and patient safety.