Design and validation of a questionnaire to measure the experiences of health workers (QEx-W) with a person-centered health care model

Abstract

Background Person-centered care seeks to empower patients and their families to participate in health care decisions. This model of care, aimed at better health outcomes and patient experience, is based on a set of determinants that affect the roles of health care providers.1–5 In addition to having an impact on performance and motivation, these determinants affect providers’ result in physical, emotional and psychological experiences with the patient and the health system. The objective of this study was to design and psychometrically validate a questionnaire to evaluate these experiences and describe the impact on health care providers.Method A survey with 23 questions and five domains was designed. It was emailed to health professionals at four institutions. The psychometric properties of construct validity were determined with factor analysis, discriminant validity with the Fornell and Lacker criteria and convergent validity with Spearman's correlation. Reliability was evaluated with the Cronbach coefficient.Results A total of 536 responses were analyzed. Three models were estimated, and the best goodness of fit was found in the 5-factor model. In the convergent validity, a rho of 0.54 (p = 0.000) was obtained, indicating a moderate correlation between the scales, and in the discriminant, AVE values greater than 0.05 were found, but none greater than the correlations between them. The alpha coefficient was 0.95 (p = 0.00), indicating high internal consistency.Conclusion The QEx-W, composed of five factors, shows high reliability and psychometric validity, so it can be used to measure the experience of Spanish-speaking workers in the health care environment.