The Chinese-version of the CARE Measure reliably differentiates between doctors in primary care: a cross-sectional study in Hong Kong

Mercer, S.W. , Fung, C.S.C., Chan, F.W.K., Wong, F.Y.Y., Wong, S.Y.S. and Murphy, D. (2011) The Chinese-version of the CARE Measure reliably differentiates between doctors in primary care: a cross-sectional study in Hong Kong. BMC Family Practice, 12(1), p. 43. (doi: 10.1186/1471-2296-12-43)

Abstract

<b>Background</b> The Consultation and Relational Empathy (CARE) Measure is a widely used patient-rated experience measure which has recently been translated into Chinese and has undergone preliminary qualitative and quantitative validation. The objective of this study was to determine the reliability of the Chinese-version of the CARE Measure in reliably differentiating between doctors in a primary care setting in Hong Kong<p></p> <b>Methods</b> Data were collected from 984 primary care patients attending 20 doctors with differing levels of training in family medicine in 5 public clinics in Hong Kong. The acceptability of the Chinese-CARE measure to patients was assessed. The reliability of the measure in discriminating effectively between doctors was analysed by Generalisability-theory (G-Theory) <p></p> <b>Results</b> The items in the Chinese-CARE measure were regarded as important by patients and there were few 'not applicable' responses. The measure showed high internal reliability (coefficient 0.95) and effectively differentiated between doctors with only 15-20 patient ratings per doctor (inter-rater reliability > 0.8). Doctors' mean CARE measure scores varied widely, ranging from 24.1 to 45.9 (maximum possible score 50) with a mean of 34.6. CARE Measure scores were positively correlated with level of training in family medicine (Spearman's rho 0.493, p < 0.05). <p></p> <b>Conclusion</b> These data demonstrate the acceptability, feasibility and reliability of using the Chinese-CARE Measure in primary care in Hong Kong to differentiate between doctors interpersonal competencies. Training in family medicine appears to enhance these key interpersonal skills

• Item Type: Articles
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Mercer, Professor Stewart
• Authors: Mercer, S.W., Fung, C.S.C., Chan, F.W.K., Wong, F.Y.Y., Wong, S.Y.S., and Murphy, D.
• Subjects: R Medicine > R Medicine (General)
• College/School: College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Health & Wellbeing > General Practice and Primary Care
• Journal Name: BMC Family Practice
• Publisher: BioMed Central
• ISSN (Online): 1471-2296
• Published Online: 01 June 2011
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2011 Mercer et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.
• First Published: First published in BMC Family Practice 12(1):43
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced under Creative Commons License