Validity and reliability of an adapted German version of the Student Perceptions of Physician-Pharmacist Interprofessional Clinical Education Instrument, version 2 (SPICE-2D)

Evaluation of an interprofessional education (IPE) course at a German university was complicated by the lack of validated German versions of IPE assessment instruments. The objectives of this study were to (1) translate version 2 of the Student Perceptions of Physician-Pharmacist Interprofessional Clinical Education (SPICE-2) and (2) test its validity and reliability.

After translation, the SPICE-2D instrument was administered electronically to medical and pharmacy students at four universities in Germany using a convenience sampling design. Confirmatory factor analysis was performed to assess validity of the translated instrument. Goodness-of-fit assessment was conducted by evaluating the standardized root mean square residuals (SRMR), the comparative fit index (CFI) and the root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA). Overall and factor-specific reliabilities of SPICE-2D were assessed using Cronbach's alpha.

Four German universities participated. Response rate was 19.8% (n = 312/1576), mean age of respondents was 25.1 years (SD 3.3), and the majority were female (69%, n = 215). The SRMR of the overall model showed a good fit (0.061). The measured CFI of 0.95 and RMSEA of 0.072 (95% CI 0.053-0.091) can be considered acceptable. Cronbach's alpha indicated overall instrument reliability and composite reliabilities; only the reliability of factor 2 (Roles/responsibilities for Collaborative Practice) was mediocre (α = 0.41). Medical students scored consistently higher across all factors than pharmacy students.

The SPICE-2D instrument demonstrated acceptable reliability, with the exception of the roles/responsibilities factor. A robust evaluation of SPICE-2D's validity and reliability in the context of a more representative sample of German medical and pharmacy students is warranted.