Capone V. Medical Communication Perceived Self-Efficacy (ME-CO) Scale: Construction and Validation of a New Measuring Instrument from a Socio-Cognitive Perspective.
Eur J Investig Health Psychol Educ 2022;
12:765-780. [PMID:
35877456 PMCID:
PMC9323938 DOI:
10.3390/ejihpe12070056]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2022] [Revised: 07/05/2022] [Accepted: 07/08/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
The study presents the validation of a scale measuring physicians’ efficacy beliefs about their ability to manage issues related to communication with patients. Specifically, the tool focused on three fundamental phases of the clinical interview: collecting information, returning information to patients, and creating and maintaining a relationship with them. The research included two studies. Study 1 generated an item pool based on the literature review and developed a self-report questionnaire administered to a pilot sample of 150 physicians (MAge = 49.36; SD = 1.98). The responses were subjected to exploratory analysis. In total, 636 physicians (MAge = 47.99; SD = 8.68) took part in Study 2. Exploratory and confirmatory analyses yielded a final version of the tool consisting of an eight-factor structure with 31 items. Findings provided evidence of the robust psychometric properties of the scale and its usefulness in assessing physicians’ self-efficacy and defining effective interventions aimed at strengthening the doctors’ communication skills. The scale detected different aspects of physicians’ communication self-efficacy (asking questions, active listening, giving information, communicating an inauspicious diagnosis, non-verbal communication, recognition of patient’s clues and suggestions, information checking, and empathy).
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