A scale to measure nurses’ and providers’ patient centered care in primary care settings

Abstract

Objectives1) Refine pilot scale measuring patients' experiences of outpatient nurses' and providers' care; 2) Determine variance explained by (a) pilot scale items and (b) “Survey of Health Experiences of Patients" (SHEP)/"Consumer Assessment of Health Care Providers and Systems" (CAHPS) scale items. MethodsRandomly selected Veteran patients with recent visits with primary care outpatient nurses and providers (n = 1192) completed scales: pilot "PCC in Primary Care: Nurses and Providers Scale" and SHEP/CAHPS scale items. Factor analyses conducted using structural equation modeling (SEM), variance measurement using regression strategies. ResultsSEM generated scale comprised 17 items in 3 factors; 2 operationalized nurses' care; 1 providers' care. Fit statistics were acceptable. Variance explained for total PCC: nurses = 42%, providers = 56%. Combined pilot and SHEP/CAHPS item analyses yielded similarly structured scale. 70% of provider care variance explained by single item. ConclusionAppraisal of team, value-based care requires accrediting care to the appropriate clinician. The "PCC in Primary Care: Nurses and Providers Scale (PC2:NaPS)" provides a psychometrically sound measure for this purpose. Practice implicationsPC2:NaPS use would improve primary care leaders' and clinicians' analyses of patient centered care and associated outcomes in their settings, and thus enhance success of quality improvement and organizational projects.