Nurse caring behaviors: comparing five tools to define perceptions.

We asked which of five tools that measure perceptions of caring attributes (Larson's Care Q, Larson's Care/Sat, Nyberg's CAS, Duffy's CAT, Wolf's CBI) have the greatest usefulness in studies with patients and nurses. A convenience sample of 26 nurse administrators completed all five tools. Data was collected on completion time, demographic characteristics, and how results compared with earlier research using the same instruments. Larson's Care Q had similar results as previously described in the literature but problems included a forced choice format, difficulty with instructions, and it took the longest time to complete. Larson's Care/Sat was difficult to analyze, contained negatively worded items, but took the least time to complete. Nyberg's CAS was designed for use with nurses and would be difficult to use with patients. Duffy's CAT had negatively worded items. Similar results were obtained with Wolf's CBI as previously described in the literature and it had consistent language, short completion time, easy to understand instructions, and easy to analyze results which could be used in a correlational design study. We conclude that Larson's Care Q (using a simpler method of administration) or Wolf's CBI could be valuable in determining perceptions of caring in patients and nurses.