Dutch Translation and Psychometric Evaluation of the Person-Centered Primary Care Measure

Person-centered care is foundational to good quality primary care and has positive effects on health outcomes and patient satisfaction. The Person-Centered Primary Care Measure (PCPCM) is a recently developed, patient-reported survey able to assess person-centeredness and has demonstrated strong validity and reliability. Little is known, however, about the feasibility of the PCPCM in non-English-speaking settings. We aimed to translate the questionnaire into Dutch, psychometrically evaluate the translated version, and ensure its feasibility for patients in Dutch primary care.

We translated the PCPCM into Dutch using forward-backward translations. We conducted psychometric evaluations to ensure its feasibility among Dutch-speaking primary care patients, with special attention to low literacy populations. Next, we assessed structural validity, convergent validity using the Quality of Care Through the Patient's Eyes (QUOTE) questionnaire, and internal consistency in a cross-sectional study in primary care.

Translation and adaptation for low literacy populations required 4 iterations. In 4 general practices, 205 patients completed the survey. Confirmatory factor analyses could not confirm the 1-factor solution. The 3-factor solution was found to be a more optimal fit: comprehensiveness of care, personal relation, and contextual care. Internal reliability was high (Cronbach's α were 0.82, 0.73, and 0.86, respectively). We found a strong correlation between the total PCPCM and QUOTE scores (Spearman's ρ = 0.65, P <.001), indicating good convergent validity.

The Dutch version of the PCPCM has acceptable validity and reliability for measuring person-centeredness in primary care among Dutch-speaking populations including those with low literacy.