Psychometric Properties of the Wake Forest Physician Trust Scale with Older Adults

Background: Trust is an integral part of the patient-physician relationship. None of the current measures of patient-physician trust has been validated with a sample of older adults. Age-appropriate samples are needed to support the use of assessment instruments and accurate interpretation of assessment results. The purpose of the study was to examine the psychometric properties of the Wake Forest Physician Trust Scale (WFPTS) with a sample of older adults. Methods: Internal consistency and convergent and discriminant validity evidence were examined. One hundred and sixty-one English-speaking, community-dwelling older adults participated. Results: Reliability evidence is strong based on coefficient alpha and average inter-item correlations. Convergent validity evidence is strong, with significant, moderate to strong correlations with measures of related constructs. Discriminant validity evidence is strong. Discussion: The results of this study provide support for the psychometric properties of the WFPTS with older adults. Future directions for research with this instrument are discussed.