Development and Testing of the Relational and Structural Components of Innovativeness Across Academia and Practice for Healthcare Progress Scale.

OBJECTIVE: Using data from 5 academic-practice sites across the United States, researchers developed and validated a scale to measure conditions that enable healthcare innovations.

BACKGROUND: Academic-practice partnerships are a catalyst for innovation and healthcare development. However, limited theoretically grounded evidence exists to provide strategic direction for healthcare innovation across practice and academia.

METHODS: Phase 1 of the analytical strategy involved scale development using 16 subject matter experts. Phase 2 involved pilot testing the scale.

RESULTS: The final Innovativeness Across Academia and Practice for Healthcare Progress Scale (IA-APHPS) consisted of 7 domains: 3 relational domains, 2 structural domains, and 2 impact domains. The confirmatory factor analysis model fits well with a comparative fit index of 0.92 and a root-mean-square error of approximation of 0.06 (n = 477).

CONCLUSION: As the 1st validated scale of healthcare innovation, the IA-APHPS allows nurses to use a diagnostic tool to facilitate innovative processes and outputs across academic-practice partnerships.