Adaptation of the "Quality of Prenatal Care Questionnaire" (QPCQ) Into Turkish: A Validity and Reliability Study

An effectively managed prenatal care process guided by evidence-based information can lead to higher satisfaction, fewer hospital admissions, and reduced pregnancy-related morbidity and mortality rates. This study was conducted within a quantitative methodological paradigm and aimed to adapt the Quality of Prenatal Care Questionnaire (QPCQ) into Turkish and evaluate its psychometric properties in a Turkish sample.

This methodological, cross-sectional study was conducted with 460 postpartum women between January and July 2021. After establishing the linguistic validity of the scale, validity and reliability analyses were conducted. Content validity was evaluated by an expert multidisciplinary panel, and construct validity was tested using exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. Reliability was assessed using Cronbach's alpha, item-total correlations, and test-retest stability over a 28-day interval.

The Content Validity Index (CVI) of the Turkish version of the QPCQ was 0.945. Cronbach's alpha for the entire scale was 0.936, while the alpha values for the subdimensions ranged between 0.74 and 0.92. In light of the structural equation analysis and model findings, the six-subscale, 46-item original version of the questionnaire was found to have acceptable construct validity without excluding any items. Fit indices (CMIN/DF=3.316, CFI=0.805, GFI=0.726, RMSA=0.076, SRMR=0.056) indicated an acceptable model fit. These values were comparable to those of previous validations conducted in Canada (α=0.96) and Brazil (α=0.97), supporting the robustness of the Turkish adaptation.

The Turkish version of the QPCQ is a valid and reliable instrument for evaluating the quality of prenatal care. This study contributes to the literature by providing the first comprehensive, psychometrically sound tool to measure prenatal care quality in Türkiye, which can be used in both clinical practice and research to improve maternal health outcomes.