Reliability and Validity Testing of the Caregiver-Centered Communication Questionnaire

Area of Science:

• Healthcare communication
• Psychometrics
• Family caregiver research

Background:

• Family caregivers play an increasing role in patient care.
• Existing tools inadequately assess caregiver-centered communication.
• There is a need for validated instruments to evaluate healthcare communication from the caregiver's perspective.

Purpose of the Study:

• To test the reliability and construct validity of the Caregiver-Centered Communication Questionnaire (CCCQ).
• To assess the extent to which healthcare teams acknowledge and address family caregivers' perspectives and needs.

Main Methods:

• The CCCQ was administered to 525 adult family caregivers of hospice patients.
• Reliability was assessed using Cronbach's alpha.
• Construct validity was evaluated using structural equation modeling (SEM) with goodness-of-fit indices (RMSEA, CFI, TLI, SRMR).

Main Results:

• The CCCQ demonstrated excellent reliability with Cronbach's alpha = 0.98.
• The SEM analysis indicated a good fit of the model to the data (RMSEA = 0.044, CFI = 0.99, TLI = 0.99, SRMR = 0.029).
• The instrument is a reliable and valid measure of caregiver-centered communication.

Conclusions:

• The CCCQ is a reliable and valid instrument for assessing caregiver-centered communication.
• This questionnaire addresses a gap in existing tools for evaluating healthcare processes.
• Integrating CCCQ assessment can enhance the evaluation of healthcare services for patients and families.