Validation of a 5-item tool to measure parent assessment of clinician compassion during pediatric visits

Our objective was to validate a 5-item compassion measurement tool as a reliable measure of patient assessments of clinician compassion in the pediatric outpatient setting. We completed a cross-sectional study in a U.S. academic healthcare system consisting of six pediatric clinics between February and September 2023. We adapted the original 5-item tool to elicit responses regarding the pediatric patient. The measure was disseminated with the Clinician and Group Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and System (CG-CAHPS) survey. We included patients aged <18 years old who had an outpatient clinic visit and had a parent complete the CG-CAHPS survey. Validity testing of the 5-item tool was performed using confirmatory factor analysis. Internal reliability was tested using Cronbach’s α, and convergent validity with overall provider rating questions from the CG-CAHPS survey was evaluated using Spearman correlation. We analyzed 640 responses. The median (interquartile range) patient age was 8 (3–13) years, and 47% of patients were female. Sixty-one percent of patients were White/Caucasian and 25% were Black/African American. Confirmatory factor analyses found a good fit. The compassion measure demonstrated good internal consistency (α = 0.97) and convergent validity with overall provider rating (r_s = 0.63 (95% confidence interval 0.56–0.70)) but reflected a patient experience domain distinctly different from what is currently captured in CG-CAHPS surveys. Our results suggest that the 5-item compassion measure is a valid tool that can reliably and distinctly measure patient assessments of clinician compassion in the pediatric outpatient setting.