Reliability and Validity Testing of the Caregiver-Centered Communication Questionnaire

Objective: The purpose of this study is to test the reliability and construct validity of a new instrument, the Caregiver-Centered Communication Questionnaire (CCCQ), designed to assess the extent to which family caregivers feel their perspectives and needs are appropriately acknowledged and addressed by the healthcare team. Methods: We administered the CCCQ to adult family caregivers of hospice patients. We calculated Cronbach's alpha and performed structural equation modeling. Following the estimation of the congeneric model, modification indices (MI) were examined to establish cross-loading. We used RMSEA, CFI and TLI, and SRMR to determine the quality of model fit. Results: A total of 525 caregivers completed the CCCQ instrument. The Cronbach's alpha was α = 0.98, indicating good reliability. Our final model demonstrated good fit to our data, χ²(354) = 711.653, RMSEA = 0.044(0.039, 0.049), CFI = 0.99, TLI = 0.99, SRMR = 0.029. Conclusion: Caregivers are asked to play an ever-increasing role in managing aspects of care. This role is not fully reflected in available toolkits to assess processes of care, and the CCCQ, designed to address this gap, was found to be reliable and valid. Assessing caregiver centered communication should and can be integrated into the evaluation of health care services delivered to patients and families.