Patient experiences with general practitioners: psychometric performance of the generic PEQ-GP instrument among patients with chronic conditions.

Abstract

BACKGROUND\nMost generic patient experience instruments have not been validated specifically for persons with chronic health problems, even though they are the dominant user of GPs/family physicians.\n\n\nOBJECTIVES\nTo assess the psychometric properties of the generic Patient Experiences with GP Questionnaire (PEQ-GP) instrument (five scales: assessment of GP, coordination, patient enablement, accessibility, and practice) in persons with chronic conditions, and to develop a short version to maximize response rates and minimize respondent fatigue in future applications.\n\n\nMETHODS\nSecondary analysis of data from a national survey of patient experiences with general practitioners in 2018-2019 (response rate: 42.6%). The psychometric properties of PEQ-GP were assessed with exploratory factor analysis and Cronbach s alpha, supplemented with confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and item response theory (IRT). A short version was constructed and evaluated based on item performance.\n\n\nRESULTS\nNine hundred and seventy persons reported a chronic condition(s), the most frequent being musculoskeletal, arthritis, other back and joints (n = 473, 48.8%). Factor analysis identified three scales with adequate psychometric results: GP (15 items; Cronbach s alpha: 0.96), practice (3 items; Cronbach s alpha: 0.87), and accessibility (2 items; Cronbach s alpha: 0.77). Evaluation of item performance identified a 7-item short version, including a 5-item GP scale with scores with strong concordance with the 15-item scale (Intraclass Correlation Coefficient: 0.97, P < 0.001).\n\n\nCONCLUSIONS\nThe generic PEQ-GP exhibits adequate psychometric performance for persons with chronic conditions. Three empirically derived PEQ-GP scales cover evaluation of the GP, accessibility, and practice. The 7-item short form minimize respondent burden, but further validation work is warranted before large-scale use.