Validation and adjustment of the Patient Experience Questionnaire (PEQ) based on a Norwegian hospital study.

Abstract

Background- This paper assesses the psychometric qualities of the Patient Experience Questionnaire (PEQ), thereby validating a patient-oriented service climate measurement model in a hospital environment, and modifies the model based on empirical results. This study employed survey data gathered by the Norwegian Institute of Public Health from adult inpatients at somatic hospitals in the Health South-East RHF in Norway. The survey engaged 4,603 patients out of 8,381 from 5 main hospitals in the region. Data was analysed with the aid of AMOS, SPSS, and Microsoft Excel.Results- The study found that an 8-factor model of the PEQ generally showed good fitness to the data, but assessment of discriminant validity showed that this was not the optimal factor solution among 4 of the 8 dimensions. After comparisons of models, support was finally found for a model with a second-order factor for 4 of the factors: “nurse services”, “doctor services”, “information”, and “organisation”, collectively named “treatment services”. The proposed model demonstrated good validity and reliability results.Conclusions- The results present theoretical and practical implications. The study recommends that inferential analyses on the PEQ should be done with the second-order factor. Also, a revision of the PEQ is recommended subject to more confirmatory studies with larger samples in different regions. The study indicates a second-order factor structure for assessing and understanding patient experiences, a finding having both theoretical and managerial implications.