Construct Validity of Medical Clinical Competence Measures: A Multitrait-Multimethod Matrix Study Using Confirmatory Factor Analysis

Abstract

This study investigates the construct validity of three methods used to evaluate clinical competence in medicine: standardized test, supervisor performance ratings, and peer performance ratings. Three attributes of clinical competence are investigated: cognitive abilities, interpersonal skills, and professional qualities. Measures representing each attribute-method combination include: National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) examination (standardized test of cognitive abilities); two scales derived from the California Psychological Inventory (CPI) (standardized test of interpersonal skills and professional qualities); and the three scales derived from the Resident Evaluation Form (REF) (peer and supervisor ratings of all three attributes). Scores for each attribute-method combination were obtained from a convenience sample of 166 resident physicians in three primary care specialties. These scores were cast into a multitrait-multimethod matrix design and analyzed using confirmatory factor analysis. Results suggest a lack of construct validity for the CPI and REF scales, moderate convergent validity

Lo esencial en Bioestadística Médica

“…Los supuestos en el análisis factorial constituyen la piedra angular para la validez de las inferencias derivadas de este método estadístico (Forsythe et al, 1986;MacCallum et al, 2007;Muñiz, 2018). El primer paso crítico implica una evaluación exhaustiva para garantizar que los datos cumplan con los requisitos fundamentales del modelo.…”