Design and psychometric evaluation of the Emergency Medical Services Safe Care Scale (EMSSCS): a mixed-method study

Area of Science:

• Emergency Medicine
• Healthcare Quality
• Psychometrics

Background:

• Safe care provision by emergency medical services (EMS) personnel is critical for patient health outcomes.
• Factors like culture and social norms can influence care delivery at incident scenes.
• A validated tool is needed to measure safe care practices among EMS personnel.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and psychometrically evaluate the Emergency Medical Services Safe Care Scale (EMSSCS).
• To create a reliable instrument for assessing safe care practices in pre-hospital settings.

Main Methods:

• A mixed-methods sequential exploratory design was used across three regions in Iran.
• Conventional content analysis of EMS personnel narratives informed scale development.
• Instrument validity and reliability were rigorously assessed using exploratory and confirmatory techniques.

Main Results:

• The Emergency Medical Services Safe Care Scale (EMSSCS) was developed with 44 items, reduced to 30 items across three dimensions: incident scene management, efficient clinical skills, and effective interaction.
• Content and face validity were established, and construct validity was confirmed.
• The scale demonstrated high reliability with a Cronbach's alpha of 0.95.

Conclusions:

• The EMSSCS is a psychometrically sound instrument for evaluating safe care practices among pre-hospital emergency medical technicians.
• Healthcare managers can use the EMSSCS to identify areas for improvement and implement targeted interventions, such as educational programs, to enhance safe care delivery.