A scale to measure nurses' and providers' patient centered care in primary care settings

Objectives: 1) Refine pilot scale measuring patients' experiences of outpatient nurses' and providers' care; 2) Determine variance explained by (a) pilot scale items and (b) "Survey of Health Experiences of Patients" (SHEP)/"Consumer Assessment of Health Care Providers and Systems" (CAHPS) scale items. Methods: Randomly selected Veteran patients with recent visits with primary care outpatient nurses and providers (n = 1192) completed scales: pilot "PCC in Primary Care: Nurses and Providers Scale" and SHEP/CAHPS scale items. Factor analyses conducted using structural equation modeling (SEM), variance measurement using regression strategies. Results: SEM generated scale comprised 17 items in 3 factors; 2 operationalized nurses' care; 1 providers' care. Fit statistics were acceptable. Variance explained for total PCC: nurses = 42%, providers = 56%. Combined pilot and SHEP/CAHPS item analyses yielded similarly structured scale. 70% of provider care variance explained by single item. Conclusion: Appraisal of team, value-based care requires accrediting care to the appropriate clinician. The "PCC in Primary Care: Nurses and Providers Scale (PC2:NaPS)" provides a psychometrically sound measure for this purpose. Practice implications: PC2:NaPS use would improve primary care leaders' and clinicians' analyses of patient centered care and associated outcomes in their settings, and thus enhance success of quality improvement and organizational projects. Published by Elsevier B.V.