Construction and psychometric testing of the EMPATHIC questionnaire measuring parent satisfaction in the pediatric intensive care unit

Abstract

PurposeTo construct and test the reliability and validity of the EMpowerment of PArents in THe Intensive Care (EMPATHIC) questionnaire measuring parent satisfaction in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU).MethodsStructured development and psychometric testing of a parent satisfaction-with-care instrument with the results of two cohorts of parents (n = 2,046) from eight PICUs in the Netherlands.ResultsIn the first cohort, 667/1,055 (63%) parents participated followed by 551/991 (56%) parents in the second cohort. The empirical structure of the instrument was established by confirmatory factor analysis with the first sample of parents confirming 65 statements within five theoretically conceptualized domains: information, care and cure, organization, parental participation, and professional attitude. The standardized factor loadings were greater than 0.40 in 63 statements. Cronbach’s α, a measure of reliability, per domain ranged from 0.73 to 0.93 in both cohorts with no significant difference documenting the reliability over time. Beside rigorous content and face validity, the congruent validity of the instrument showed adequate correlation with four gold standard questions measuring overall satisfaction. The non-differential validity was confirmed with no significant differences between the population characteristics and the domains, except that parents with a child for a surgical admission were more satisfied on information issues.ConclusionsThe final EMPATHIC questionnaire incorporates 65 statements. The empirical structure of the satisfaction statements and domains was satisfactory. The reliability and validity proved to be adequate. The EMPATHIC questionnaire is a valid quality performance indicator to measure quality of care as perceived by parents.

Measurement of parent satisfaction in the paediatric intensive care unit – Translation, cultural adaptation and psychometric equivalence for the French-speaking version of the EMPATHIC-65 questionnaire

“…The lowest result of internal consistency belonged to the domain Organization (α = 0.58). Similar result was shown in the Dutch version (α = 0.73) (Latour et al, 2011), supporting that the French version follows the trend of the original version. We can hypothesize that the small number of six items for this domain influences the intensity of the Cronbach's α coefficient (Streiner & Norman, 2008) and that the context (Netherlands compared to Switzerland and France) had an influence on the homogeneity of the items (Streiner & Norman, 2008).…”

“…We can hypothesize that the small number of six items for this domain influences the intensity of the Cronbach's α coefficient (Streiner & Norman, 2008) and that the context (Netherlands compared to Switzerland and France) had an influence on the homogeneity of the items (Streiner & Norman, 2008). French and Dutch version ensures convergent validity through a same adequate correlation (Latour et al, 2011). In both versions, the overall satisfaction question "If we were to find ourselves in the same situation, we would return to this PICU" is poorly correlated to the total EMPATHIC score (Latour et al, 2011).…”

“…French and Dutch version ensures convergent validity through a same adequate correlation (Latour et al, 2011). In both versions, the overall satisfaction question "If we were to find ourselves in the same situation, we would return to this PICU" is poorly correlated to the total EMPATHIC score (Latour et al, 2011). It can suggest that it could be difficult for parents to imagine a future similar situation while they're just outside of the unit, with recent memory.…”

“…The reliability and validity testing of the Dutch EMPATHIC-65 questionnaire revealed sound psychometric properties (Latour et al, 2011) .…”

“…The Family-Centred Care Scale and the EMpowerment of PArents in The Intensive Care (EMPATHIC-65) questionnaire were developed to fill this gap (Curley, Hunsberger, & Harris, 2013;Latour et al, 2011). The latter has been widely introduced in many countries worldwide and is becoming a reference in European countries, allowing for benchmarking.…”