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A cross-sectional feasibility study of an English-language survey in Switzerland using the Patient-Reported Outcomes
Matthew Kerry1, Thanh Elsener1,2
1Health Department, Zürich University of Applied Science (ZHAW), Winterthur, Switzerland.
Study Aims:
English is the fourth most-used language in Switzerland at 6%, yet no health survey has specifically sampled English-speaking respondents, despite having compulsory health insurance. The purpose of this prospective survey is to explore the feasibility of collecting empirical evidence on the health status of English-speaking respondents living in Switzerland. In addition to reporting psychometrics, we further examine substantive correlates of subjective health, such as migration status, residency duration, and planned residency in Switzerland.
Methods:
A cross-sectional design with purposive sampling was used to collect n = 156 English-speaking respondents between December 2024 and January 2025. The Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS-29 v2.1) was administered. Several sociodemographic characteristics (age, sex, education, income, chronic condition, migration background, nationality, and employment) were also collected to inspect the convergent validity of the PROMIS-29 with external correlates. The measurement properties inspected included descriptives (normality and floor/ceiling effects), internal consistency reliability (ω ≥ 0.70), structural validity [root-mean-squared error of approximation (RMSEA) < 0.06], and convergent validity (correlation r = 0.30-0.50).
Results:
N = 156 of 215 respondents completed the health survey (73% completion). A chronic condition was reported by 45% of the respondents. Regarding instrumentation, 5/7 scales exhibited normal distributions, and all scales exhibited high reliability (0.83-0.93). Structural validity evidence was mostly supported, but the smaller sample size compromised the overall comparative fit index (0.93). Finally, all scales exhibited moderate-strong convergence validity with self-rated health (r = 0.29-0.58).
Conclusion:
English-speaking respondent uptake seems to be feasible with a relatively high completion rate of 73%. Furthermore, a preliminary inspection of psychometrics indicated good quality evidence. Future research should expand on questions regarding health service utilization and remaining psychometric criteria, such as criterion validity, responsiveness, and cross-cultural validity with Switzerland's three primary spoken languages.
