Scale of Adherence to Good Hospital Practices for COVID-19: Psychometric Properties

Abstract

To avoid hospital transmission, all COVID-19 prevention measures should be followed. This study aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of a novel scale developed to assess adherence to good practices for COVID-19 in the hospital setting. A methodological cross-sectional study was conducted at a public hospital in the state of São Paulo, Brazil, with 307 healthcare providers. Data were collected using a questionnaire addressing sociodemographic/occupational data and the Adherence to Standard Precautions for COVID-19 scale. Cronbach’s alpha coefficients and the intraclass correlation coefficients were used to measure internal consistency and temporal stability (test-retest analysis), respectively. Concurrent validity was evaluated using Spearman’s correlation coefficients between the scores of the overall scale and its domains. Factorial structure was evaluated using exploratory factor analysis and goodness-of-fit of the model was tested using confirmatory factor analysis. Cronbach’s alpha coefficients for the scale and its domains were higher than 0.7, except the psychosocial domain (0.61). All intraclass correlation coefficients were higher than 0.7. Strong correlations were found between the total score and the personal (0.84) and organizational (0.90) domains of the scale and a good correlation was found with the psychosocial domain (0.66). The fit of the multidimensional model was satisfactory for all parameters and the three-dimensional structure of the scale was confirmed by the fit of the factor loadings. The novel scale is a valid and reliable instrument for assessing adherence to good hospital practices for COVID-19.

Evaluation of Standard Precautions Compliance Instruments: A Systematic Review Using COSMIN Methodology

“…Finally, the fourth category includes tools that assess compliance with guidelines and Transmission-based precautions (TBPs): Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices scale (KAPs) [30], Attitudes Regarding Practice Guidelines (ARPG) [28], and Adherence to Good Hospital Practices for COVID-19 (AGHPC) [46,47].…”

“…Most of the studies were conducted in Asia and America (23 studies). The first instrument developed was the CUPs in 1995 [22], and the last was the AGHPC in 2022 [46,47]. This means that this research topic has been covered for almost 30 years, in which there have been several modifications and changes in international knowledge and guidelines for the prevention of HAIs (Healthcare Associated Infections) [26,34].…”

“…The Adherence to Good Hospital Practices for COVID-19 (AGHPC) was developed in 2022 by Meneguin and colleagues [46,47] for the purpose of assessing the adherence of healthcare providers to good practices for COVID-19 in the hospital setting. The Health Belief Model, developed by U.S. psychologists in 1950, was used as the theoretical framework for developing the instrument [52].…”

“…The AGHPC consists of 47 items with a 5-point Likert response system and 3 subdimensions: personal, organizational, and psychosocial. The instrument achieved sufficient content validity because the procedures to assess relevance, comprehensiveness, and comprehensibility were clearly and comprehensively described [46,47]. However, the quality of evidence is low because no validation studies were found in the literature but only the two developmental ones.…”