Cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the Jefferson Scale of Patient’s Perceptions of Physician Empathy (JSPPPE) for the Portuguese population

Abstract

Objectives

To translate the Jefferson Scale of Patient Perceptions of Physician Empathy (JSPPPE) to the European Portuguese spoken language and to verify its reliability and validity.

Methods

Cultural adaptation and linguistic translation from English to European Portuguese, revision of translations, semantics equivalence, and grammar correction of the Portuguese wording were made. Readability of the Portuguese version was verified and the analysis of internal consistency and correlation with the subscale “physician–patient relationship” of the Portuguese version of European Task Force on Patient Evaluation of General Practice Care Scale (EuroPEP) were made. Reliability was tested by intertemporal stability and internal consistency. Validity of criteria and construction was also verified.

Results

The Portuguese translation was adapted to the 8th or 9th grade level, easy to understand. There was the need to change the visual appearance of the scale, answers below sentences. Interclass correlation coefficient for reliability varied between 0.737 and 1.000 and Cronbach’s α between 0.806 and 0.877. Validity was verified by comparing values of socio-demographic variables for JSPPPE index and for EuroPEP with no differences. Correlation values between the total score and its five items varied from 0.806 to 0.934. Criterion validity against EuroPEP had a correlation of 0.831.

Conclusion

This study fulfilled the necessary steps to translate, verify the validity and the reliability of the Portuguese version of the JSPPPE, with minimum layout alteration. All five items were maintained. The authors recommend the use of the JSPPPE in research and clinical practice.

Keywords:

• empathy
• physician-patient relationship
• patient centered medicine

Acknowledgments

To José Gabriel, MD, and Bruno Heleno, MD, PhD for the Portuguese-English translation. To the experts who, anonymously, helped to translate the scale to Portuguese. There was no specific funding received for this work.

Abbreviation List

JSPPPE, Jefferson Scale of Patients Perceptions of Physician Empathy; JSE, Jefferson Scale of Empathy; GP, General Practitioner; EuroPEP, European Task Force on Patient Evaluation of General Practice Care scale.

Data sharing statement

All data are available for researchers upon request.

Ethics approval

This study was approved by the Ethics committee of the Centre Regional Health Authority and the Ethics Committee of the Adiministração Regional de Saúde do Centro de Portugal.

Author contributions

Ana Catarina Domingues, Ana Rita Rodrigues, and Beatriz Pires were leading field authors, collecting data. They read the paper and gave their informed scientific consent. Luiz Miguel Santiago and Pedro Ferreira wrote the paper, and made the statistical work. Denise Velho made scientific inputs and made the English writing. All authors contributed to data analysis, drafting and revising the article, gave final approval of the version to be published, and agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work.

Disclosure

The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.