Digital hospital evaluation scale: A scale-development research study

Aim: To conduct and report on psychometric tests for a valid and reliable measurement tool for evaluating digital hospitals by healthcare professionals. Method: This psychometric study took place in a public digital hospital in Turkey. It was carried out with the participation of 355 healthcare professionals. Data were collected between September and October 2023 using an online survey and non-probability convenience sampling method. Statistical Package for Social Science Version (SPSS) 26.0 and analysis of moment structures version 24.0 were used to analyse the data. It was used for the psychometric properties and analyses of the scale (item analysis, explanatory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), convergent and divergent validity statistics, Cronbach Alpha internal consistency coefficient, dependent sample t-test, and intraclass correlation). Results: The content validity index of the scale is 0.92. As a result of exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and CFA in separate samples, a total of 30 items and four sub-factors were obtained. Cronbach Alpha value of the scale is over 0.90 for both samples. In the four-factor structure, 82.64% of the total variance was explained. The 30-item and four-factor structure obtained in EFA was confirmed in CFA, and convergent and divergent validity statistics were provided. Test-retest results showed that the scale has high reliability. Conclusion: The digital hospital evaluation scale is valid and reliable for healthcare professionals to evaluate digital hospitals.