Calculation of Minimal Detectable Change of Construct Subscales of a Cultural Competence Instrument

Abstract

Introduction. Physical therapist (PT) and athletic training education programs are among the health professions programs that include cultural competency components to prepare students for practice in a diverse society and to meet accreditation requirements. The Inventory for Assessing the Process of Cultural Competence Among Healthcare Professionals-Student Version (IAPCC-SV©) is an instrument frequently used to assess cultural competency. The purpose of this study is to calculate the minimal detectable change (MDC) of the tool and each of the 5 construct subscales. Subjects. Seventy-nine Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) and undergraduate athletic training and rehabilitation science (ATHP) students completed the IAPCCSV ©. Methods. The IAPCC-SV© was administered to 79 students in Fall 2014, and 52 students completed a retest 1 week later. Test-retest reliability and MDC for the IAPCC-SV© scale and subscales were calculated. Results. For the combined DPT and ATHP groups, the MDC95 of the entire tool was 4.1, internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha) was .861, and overall testretest reliability was .938. The MDC95 of the individual subscales are as follows: cultural awareness = 1.34, knowledge = 2.02, skill = 1.52, encounters = 1.61, and desire = 1.17. The range of subscale internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha) was .431 to .798, while the range of test-retest reliabilities was .766 to .936. Discussion and Conclusion. The current results provide MDC values of the IAPCC-SV© in 2 additional student groups. The MDC of the cultural knowledge and cultural desire construct subscales can be used to interpret changes in their respective domains of the IAPCCSV © after an educational intervention.