Development and testing of a patient‐reported experience measure for cancer: A cross‐sectional survey

Abstract

AimTo develop and psychometrically test the Patient‐reported Experience Measure‐Cancer (PREM‐C), reflecting patients' perceptions of cancer care experiences according to the Institute of Medicine domains.DesignA three‐phase cross‐sectional survey was conducted.MethodsDevelopment, reliability and validity testing of the PREM‐C measure was undertaken. Data collection included three phases: firstly (development) between October and November, 2015; secondly (psychometric testing), May 2016–June, 2017, and finally, (revision and psychometric testing) May 2019–March 2020.ResultsThe final PREM‐C structure, created using the Institute of Medicine domains, was psychometrically sound with five factors identified in the Exploratory Factor Analysis, demonstrating internal reliability ranging from 0.8 to 0.9. Confirmatory Factor Analysis indicated the hypothesized model fitted well (Root mean square error of approximation = 0.076). External convergent and divergent validity was established with the PREM‐C found to be moderately correlated with the Picker Patient Experience Questionnaire but weakly correlated with the WHOQoL‐BREF.ConclusionThe development and testing of the PREM‐C demonstrated good fit as a clinically relevant measure of ambulatory cancer patients' experiences of care. To make meaningful changes to nursing practice and health services, patient experience measures such as the PREM‐C might support staff to identify areas for service improvement.ImpactFew reliable measures and less validated measures collect patients' perceptions of the quality of their healthcare provision. Rigorous psychometric testing of the newly developed PREM‐C demonstrated good internal consistency, test–retest reliability, and external convergent and divergent validity. The PREM‐C is a potentially relevant measure of cancer patients' experiences of care. It might be used to assess patient‐centred care and guide safety and quality improvements in clinical settings. PREM‐C use might inform service providers of experiences of care in their institution and inform policy and practice development. This measure is sufficiently generic, allowing potential use in other chronic disease populations.Patient or Public ContributionThis conduct of this study was supported by the participating patients of the hospital Cancer Outpatients Service.