Development and validation of a patient participation scale

Area of Science:

• Healthcare research
• Patient engagement studies
• Instrument development

Background:

• Patient participation is crucial for effective healthcare.
• Measuring patient participation levels requires validated instruments.
• Existing measures may not fully capture the multifaceted nature of patient engagement.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate the Patient Participation Scale (PPS).
• To assess the reliability and validity of the PPS for measuring patient participation in healthcare.
• To provide a tool for healthcare professionals to evaluate and enhance patient involvement.

Main Methods:

• Methodological study involving instrument development and verification phases.
• Preliminary item generation through literature review and interviews with patients and healthcare providers.
• Instrument verification using exploratory factor analysis and reliability/validity checks on data from 312 internal medicine patients.

Main Results:

• The developed Patient Participation Scale (PPS) consists of 21 items across four themes: information sharing, self-management, trust, and decision-making.
• The PPS explained 61.9% of the variance in patient participation.
• The scale demonstrated strong criterion-related validity (r=.820, p<.001) and high reliability (Cronbach's α=.92).

Conclusions:

• The Patient Participation Scale (PPS) is a valid and reliable instrument for measuring patient participation in healthcare.
• The PPS can be utilized by nurses and other healthcare professionals to foster greater patient involvement in treatment and care.
• This scale offers a valuable tool for improving patient-centered care and outcomes.