Translation, cross-cultural adaptation and scale validation to assess professionalism among medical students

Abstract

Introduction: the professionalism of the physician should be present not only in the technical attributes, such as decision making and clinical reasoning, but also personal and interpersonal attributes, such as empathy, ethics, commitment, sense of social responsibility, altruism, teamwork and confidentiality. However, these attributes should be worked already during the medical course and includes the need to be assessed. Objective: To translate, cross-culturally adapt and validate a scale to assess professionalism in medical students. Method: We conducted a methodological validation study of the Professionalism Assessment Scale for Medical Students developed in Slovenia and authorized by the main author. The study was developed in four phases: translation and retranslation phase; cross-cultural adaptation phase; test and retest phase; and final application phase of the scale. The study population in the final phase consisted of a medical student and the sample was of convenience. The questionnaire was developed through the open LimeSurvey software and available via link in social networks. Data analysis was performed in Epi Info 7.2.4.0 and study approved by the institution’s Research Ethics Committee. Results: 82 students participated, with a mean age of 21 years (SD = 1.8) and predominance of males. Before answering the Professional Assessment Scale (PAS), 73.2% said they knew how to define what professionalism was and 47.3% said they had a medical relative. Participants achieved very high PAS scores, with only 4 participants (4.88%) scoring less than 100. The mean score was 107 on a scale of no more than 110 points. The PAS presented a Cronbach alpha coefficient of 0.7. Conclusion: The study revealed that the students of the educational institution have a high degree of professionalism and the validation of the scale in its final stage reached an acceptable level of reliability and can be used in other studies.