A Swedish version of the Consultation and Relational Empathy (CARE) measure

Figures & data

Figure 1. Demographic data. It refers to the population of the communities predominantly served by the two practices. Statistics regard 2012. (http://www.tmr.sll.se/Global/Dokument/Statistik/planprognoser/0123%20J%c3%a4rf%c3%a4lla.pdf and http://www.statistikomstockholm.se/index.php/omradesfaktax/).

Table 1. Questions in the CARE measure.

How good was the practitioner at…

1. Making you feel at ease (introducing him/herself, explaining his/her position, being friendly and warm towards you, treating you with respect, not cold or abrupt)

2. Letting you tell your ‘story’ (giving you time to fully describe your condition in your own words; not interrupting, rushing or diverting you)

3. Really listening (paying close attention to what you were saying; not looking at the notes or computer as you were talking)

4. Being interested in you as a whole person (asking/knowing relevant details about your life, your situation; not treating you ‘just as a number’)

5. Fully understanding your concerns (communicating that he/she had accurately understood your concerns and anxieties; not overlooking or dismissing anything)

6. Showing care and compassion (seeming genuinely concerned, connecting with you on a human level; not being indifferent or ‘detached’)

7. Being positive (having a positive approach and a positive attitude; being honest but not negative about your problems)

8. Explaining things clearly (fully answering your questions; explaining clearly, giving you adequate information; not being vague)

9. Helping you take control (exploring with you what you can do to improve your health yourself; encouraging rather than ‘lecturing’ you)

10. Making a plan of action with you (discussing the options; involving you in decisions as much as you want to be involved; not ignoring your views)

Table 2. Descriptive data on response pattern. Responses on the 10 items in the Swedish Consultation and Relational Empathy (CARE) measure in the study participants (n = 554). The table displays, for each item, the number and proportion of study participants who scored respective response option (Poor, Fair, Good, Very Good and Excellent), the number and proportion of study participants who had data ‘Not applicable’ and ‘Missing’. The table also displays the Total number of study participants per item.

CARE measure item	Poor (%)	Fair (%)	Good (%)	Very Good (%)	Excellent (%)	Notapplicable (%)	Missing (%)	Total (n)
1. Making you feel at ease	3 (0.54)	23 (4.15)	92 (16.6)	172 (31.0)	259 (46.7)	1 (0.2)	4 (0.7)	549
2. Letting you tell your story	4 (0.7)	21 (3.8)	90 (16.2)	169 (30.5)	265 (47.8)	1 (0.2)	4 (0.7)	554
3. Really listening	6 (1.1)	22 (4.0)	87 (15.7)	171 (30.9)	255 (46.0)	4 (0.7)	9 (1.6)	554
4. Being interested in you as awhole person	8 (1.4)	39 (7.0)	88 (15.9)	146 (26.4)	233 (42.1)	34 (6.1)	6 (1.1)	554
5. Fully understand your concerns	6 (1.1)	28 (5.1)	99 (17.9)	159 (28.7)	241 (43.5)	10 (1.8)	11 (2.0)	554
6. Showing care and compassion	2 (0.4)	27 (4.9)	86 (15.5)	164 (29.6)	261 (47.1)	6 (1.1)	8 (1.4)	554
7. Being positive	2 (0.4)	20 (3.6)	84 (15.2)	174 (31.4)	263 (47.5)	4 (0.7)	7 (1.3)	554
8. Explain things clearly	5 (0.9)	30 (5.4)	71 (12.8)	161 (29.1)	269 (48.6)	6 (1.1)	12 (2.2)	554
9. Helping you take control	7 (1.3)	29 (5.2)	89 (16.1)	161 (29.1)	165 (29.8)	91 (16.4)	12 (2.2)	554
10. Making a plan of action with you	9 (1.6)	28 (5.1)	87 (15.7)	116 (20.9)	204 (36.8)	94 (17.0)	16 (2.9)	554

Table 3. Frequency for number of participants with incomplete records in 1–10 items by reason, i.e. missing data and not applicable.

Reason for incomplete records	Missing	Not applicable
Number of items with incomplete data	n = 554	n = 554
Complete	515	416
Missing items
1	25	72
2	7	39
3	1	19
4	1	1
5	1	5
6	0	0
7	0	2
8	1	0
9	1	0
10	2	0

Table 4. Reliability, homogeneity and factor loadings for the Swedish CARE measure (≤2 M/NA variables).

Analysed item	Corrected item-total correlation	Cronbach α if item(s) deleted	Factor 1 Eigen value 8.204
All items 1–10	0.794	0.975
1 Making you feel at ease	0.861	0.973	0.888
2 Letting you tell your ‘story’	0.899	0.972	0.920
3 Really listening	0.890	0.973	0.912
4 Being interested in you as a whole person	0.868	0.973	0.894
5 Fully understanding you concerns	0.906	0.972	0.925
6 Showing care and compassion	0.895	0.972	0.917
7 Being positive	0.891	0.972	0.913
8 Explaining things clearly	0.867	0.973	0.893
9 Helping you to take control	0.859	0.973	0.885
10 Making a plan of action with you	0.888	0.972	0.910

≤ 2 M/NA values per questionnaire (all caregivers).