Development of the Inclination Toward Conscientious Objection Scale for Physicians

Area of Science:

• Medical Ethics
• Psychometrics

Background:

• Conscientious objection is a significant ethical consideration in medical practice.
• Assessing physicians' inclination towards conscientious objection requires validated instruments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate the Inclination toward Conscientious Objection Scale (ICOS) for physicians.
• To evaluate the psychometric properties of the ICOS in a Turkish medical context.

Main Methods:

• Scale development involved item pool reduction, expert review, and administration to 224 physicians.
• Validity was assessed through face, content, criterion-related, and construct analyses.
• Reliability was determined using split-half method (Spearman-Brown coefficient) and internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha).

Main Results:

• The final 40-item scale demonstrated high internal consistency and reliability.
• Factor analysis revealed four distinct factors explaining 85.46% of the variance.
• The scale showed strong validity, including construct, content, and criterion-related validity.

Conclusions:

• The Inclination toward Conscientious Objection Scale is a valid and reliable instrument for assessing physicians' inclination towards conscientious objection.
• The scale provides a robust tool for research and practice in medical ethics, particularly within the Turkish healthcare system.