Translation, Adaptation, and Assessment of the Communication Assessment Tool in Tigray, Northern Ethiopia

Abstract

Background Ethiopia has experienced tremendous growth in medical education beginning in the early 2000s. Research shows a need for emphasis on empathy and compassionate care in this setting. In the United States, the Communication Assessment Tool (CAT) is a widely used, validated survey measuring provider-patient interactions. Objective The goal of this study was to translate, culturally adapt, and pilot the CAT to allow it to be used with trainees and patients in Ethiopia. Methods Bilingual experts translated the CAT into Tigrigna, the primary language of the Tigray region in northern Ethiopia, followed by focus group discussions, back translation, and review by the original author of the CAT. The translated tool was administered to the patients of resident physicians in 6 specialties at Ayder Referral Hospital between December 2016 and February 2017. Results Our translation of the CAT into Tigrigna had semantic, idiomatic, and experiential equivalence. Of 1024 patients recruited, 1002 (98%) completed interviews using the CAT. Mean score was 3.09; 3% of all scores were excellent and 54% were good. Cronbach's alpha score for the full survey was 0.942, demonstrating high reliability. Conclusions The translated CAT in Tigrigna can be used to assess communication skills in Ethiopian residents. Both mean score and percentage of excellent scores were considerably lower than scores in other countries, suggesting that there may be opportunities for improvement in residents' communication skills.

Translation and Cultural Adaptation of a Romanian Version of the Communication Assessment Tool (CAT_Ro)

“…Among the existing tools, CAT was the most appropriate option because it is validated in several languages, easy to use and interpret, easy to understand by patients, the duration is adequate, but at the same time, it is quite complex and comprehensive [27][28][29][30][31].…”

The Value of International Research and Learning in Graduate Medical Education

“…17 Several authors present educational innovations, tools, and recommendations for teaching and assessing competencies relevant to the health professionals of tomorrow. These include leadership and managerial skills for trainees (Yap et al, 18 Teo et al 19 ); communication and decision-making (Goba et al, 20 Ritter et al 21 ); assessment of emotional intelligence (Al Huseini et al 22 ); and teaching (Feltes et al 23 ) and research skills (Al-Busaidi et al, 24 Onguka and Wechuli, 25 Stadler et al 26 ).…”