Validation and Adjustment of the Patient Experience Questionnaire (PEQ): A Regional Hospital Study in Norway.

Seth Ayisi Addo,Reidar Johan Mykletun,Espen Olsen

doi:10.3390/ijerph18137141

Abstract

This paper assesses the psychometric qualities of the Patient Experience Questionnaire (PEQ), thereby validating a patient-oriented measurement model in a hospital environment, and modifies the model based on empirical results. This study employed survey data gathered by the Norwegian Institute of Public Health from adult inpatients at somatic hospitals in the Health South-East RHF in Norway. The survey engaged 4603 patients out of 8381 from five main hospitals in the region. The study found that an eight-factor model of the PEQ generally showed good fitness to the data, but assessment of discriminant validity showed that this was not the optimal factor solution among four of the eight dimensions. After comparing models, the study proposed a model with a second-order factor for four of the factors: “nurse services”, “doctor services”, “information”, and “organization”, collectively named “treatment services”. The proposed model demonstrated good validity and reliability results. The results present theoretical and practical implications. The study recommends that inferential analyses on the PEQ should be done with the second-order factor. Furthermore, a revision of the PEQ is recommended subject to more confirmatory studies with larger samples in different regions. The study indicates a second-order factor structure for assessing and understanding patient experiences—a finding which has both theoretical and managerial implications.

Highlights

Healthcare professionals are facing heavy pressure to meet the growing needs of patients such as medical, physical, and psychological healthcare needs [1] as well as patients’ expectations of quality services, products, and performance [2]
Outliers were recorded for some of the questions, but this was to be expected considering the varied background characteristics, such as age and number of days spent in the hospital, which could influence participants’ experiences
The results of this study show that changes in psychometric analytical tools and methods can highlight possible weaknesses and inadequacies in measures, as seen with the Patient Experience Questionnaire (PEQ)

Summary

Introduction

Healthcare professionals are facing heavy pressure to meet the growing needs of patients such as medical, physical, and psychological healthcare needs [1] as well as patients’ expectations of quality services, products, and performance [2]. This is due to the increasing and alarming rate of morbidity and multi-morbidity in Western countries [3], together with aging populations and the healthcare needs of the aged. Pressure on healthcare professionals has increased in recent times with the outbreak of global pandemics such as COVID-19 Notwithstanding these morbidity rates and the growing needs of patients, healthcare providers and professionals are expected to ensure positive patient experiences. In a bid to clarify the meaning of patient experiences, Wolf and Jason [9]

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