Evaluation of the possibility of using Anderson and Dedrick’s Trust in Physician Scale in Belarusian conditions

Abstract

Introduction: A patient that trusts a doctor feels safer and more easily adapts to a doctor's recommendations. Aim of the study: To assess the possibility of using the patient's trust scale by Anderson and Dedrick in Belarusian conditions. Materials and Methods: The study used the Trust in Physician Scale (TPS) by Anderson and Dedrick. Validation was performed on a group of 251 randomly selected individuals. The validation process consisted of two parts: translation and evaluation of the psychometric properties of the newly translated instrument, and its purpose was to compare the results obtained at the intercultural (international) level and apply the test in Belarus. Results: Internal consistency of the Russian TPS was high (Cronbach’s alpha = .891). The highest mean scores were for items “My doctor is a real expert in taking care of medical problems like mine” - 3.95±0.77; “I trust my doctor to put my medical needs above all other considerations when treating my medical problems” - 3.83±0.80; “I trust my doctor’s judgments about my medical care” - 3.66±0.88; and “I trust my doctor so much, I always try to follow his/her advice” - 3.64±0.99. Conclusions: The Russian language scale fulfills all the criteria of psychometric equivalence with the original version of The Trust in Physician Scale.