Abstract
AIM: This study aimed to adapt and validate the Creativity and Innovation Effectiveness Profile (CIEP) for Chinese nursing students, developing a culturally contextualized tool to systematically assess and enhance creativity in alignment with China's educational and cultural contexts. BACKGROUND: Given the rapid evolution of global healthcare driven by advances in technology, clinical practice, and patient care models, fostering innovation in nursing education has become imperative. While China has demonstrated a growing emphasis on cultivating nursing students' innovative capabilities, there remains a persistent lack of validated instruments specifically designed to evaluate these competencies within this population. DESIGN: A scale adaptation and validation study. METHODS: The cross-cultural adaptation process involved forward-backward translation, expert reviews (using the Delphi method with 15 experts), cognitive interviews (n = 30), and psychometric validation. Data from 531 nursing students from two universities were analyzed using exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). RESULTS: The adapted scale was restructured into four dimensions-Creative Consciousness, Pattern Breaking Skills, Critical Thinking Ability, and Idea Nurturing Ability. Results demonstrated high internal consistency (Cronbach's α = 0.894), excellent test-retest reliability (ICC = 0.846), and strong construct validity (CFI = 0.925, RMSEA = 0.051). Composite reliability (0.862-0.911) and discriminant validity further confirmed the scale's psychometric rigor. Culturally sensitive modifications enhanced the scale's ecological validity. CONCLUSION: The validated 31-item CIEP provides a systematic tool for evaluating and fostering innovation competencies within Chinese nursing education, thereby supporting national priorities for multidisciplinary healthcare talent development. Future research should focus on longitudinal tracking of innovation capability development and establishing empirical correlations between scale-derived indicators and objective clinical innovation outcomes.