Table 3.
Conceptual and operational definition of variables
| GGNPS variable | Conceptual definition | Operational definition |
|---|---|---|
| Competency/Knowledge |
Competency: Individuals providing safe patient care, in accordance with “responsibilities, professional standards, education, and qualifications” (Axley, 2008, p. 221). Knowledge: “when an individual (or other decision‐making unit) is exposed to an innovation's existence and gains some understanding of how it functions.” |
Part 2, Questions 2.1, 2.2, 2.4; Part 4, Questions 1, 2, 3; Part 5, Questions 1, 2; Part 6, Questions 1, 2. |
| Attitude/Receptivity |
Attitude: “A relatively enduring organization of an individual's beliefs about an object that predisposes his or her actions” (Rogers, 2003, p. 174–175). Receptivity: “favorable or unfavorable attitude towards an innovation” (Rogers, 2003, p. 169). While knowledge is mostly 'knowing' or cognitive, attitude/receptivity is mostly 'feeling' (Rogers, 2003). |
Part 1, Questions, 1, 2, 3; Part 2, Questions 2, 3. |
| Decision/Adoption* | Decision: activities that lead to a choice of either adopting or rejecting the innovation. Adoption: use of an innovation (Rogers, 2003). In the present study, decision/adoption was operationally defined as self‐reported collection and assessment of a family history, as well as self‐reported facilitation of referrals to genetic services. | Part 3, Questions 2, 3, 4. |
| Confidence | “Level of certainty that knowledge about the innovation is accurate” (Calzone et al., 2012, p. 12). | Part 2, Question 1. |
| Social system | Social system: the setting or environment where the innovation was introduced such as the clinical site where nurses are employed (Calzone et al., 2012). | Part 7, Questions 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 1.6, and 1.7. |
*
Decision was the portion of the DOI model where individuals engaged in activities that affected the choice of adopting or rejecting an innovation. However, the decision stage is difficult to observe and measure because decisions are often internal thoughts (Rogers, 2003). For this reason, Calzone and colleagues combined decision and adoption into one domain, facilitating empirical measurement. In this study, decision was considered part of decision/adoption and is not measured separately.