Work Climate Scale in Emergency Services: Abridged Version.

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Management
• Occupational Psychology
• Psychometrics

Background:

• Hospital emergency services face high workloads and time constraints, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Existing 40-item Work Climate Scale in Hospital Emergency Services (WCSHES) needed a more concise version.
• Need for a valid and reliable instrument to assess work climate in emergency departments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate an abridged 24-item version of the WCSHES.
• To ensure the new scale maintains the conceptualization and utility of the original.
• To provide a practical tool for evaluating work climate factors in emergency services.

Main Methods:

• Abridged the original 40-item WCSHES to 24 items, prioritizing validity.
• Conducted confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) on data from 126 hospital emergency service workers.
• Evaluated scale validity, reliability, and model fit using established psychometric criteria.

Main Results:

• The 24-item WCSHES demonstrated appropriate global fit indices (RMSEA=0.06, SRMR=0.08, CFI=0.98).
• Achieved strong test-retest validity (ρ=0.68) and excellent reliability (α=0.94, ω=0.94).
• The abridged scale effectively measures work satisfaction, productivity, interpersonal relations, and performance.

Conclusions:

• The 24-item WCSHES is a valid and reliable instrument for assessing work climate in hospital emergency services.
• The abridged scale offers a practical tool for research and improving working conditions.
• Further research should explore the scale's application in diverse emergency settings.