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Development and psychometric properties of the Ethics Environment Questionnaire
1Center for Business, Religion, and Professions, Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, Pennsylvania 15206, USA.
Medical Care
|September 23, 1997
Summary
The Ethics Environment Questionnaire (EEQ) is a new, reliable tool for assessing healthcare ethics. It measures provider opinions on ethics in clinical practice organizations, offering a valid and cost-effective solution.
Area of Science:
- Healthcare Management
- Medical Ethics
- Psychometrics
Background:
- Measuring the ethics environment in healthcare organizations is crucial for quality patient care.
- Existing measures may lack validity, reliability, or ease of administration.
- There is a need for robust instruments to assess healthcare providers' ethical perceptions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and validate the Ethics Environment Questionnaire (EEQ).
- To provide a psychometrically sound instrument for measuring healthcare providers' opinions on ethics.
- To enhance the availability of reliable measures for healthcare ethics.
Main Methods:
- Development of a 20-item, 5-point Likert-scale questionnaire (EEQ).
- Self-administered format with a mean administration time of 10 minutes.
- Tested on 450 respondents across various acute care facilities.
Main Results:
- High internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.93) and test-retest reliability (0.88).
- Established construct, content, and criterion validity; confirmed unidimensionality.
- Mean score of 3.1/5.0; scores ≥3.5 indicate a positive ethics environment.
Conclusions:
- The EEQ is a valid, reliable, and cost-effective instrument for assessing the healthcare ethics environment.
- It is easily administered and requires minimal personnel time.
- The EEQ supports multi-practitioner assessment in clinical practice organizations.