A measure to quantify the quality of communication and cooperation among health care providers in a region

Abstract

The primary aim of this study was to investigate the reliability and validity of a measurement tool to quantify the quality of communication and cooperation among health care providers in a region. A total of 476 health care professionals were enrolled. For the 25-item scale, the internal consistency was excellent. Factor analyses identified 7 underlying factors, such as easy communication with health care providers in other institutions, understanding the role of other disciplines in the region, and knowing the face, name, and the way of thinking. The total score had weak negative but significant correlations with the cooperation subscale of the Palliative care Difficulties Scale. The total score was also significantly associated with the general evaluation of communication and cooperation in the region, the number of participations in whole-region multidisciplinary conferences, the number of persons to whom the respondent could ask about palliative care in the region, and clinical experience in the region. In conclusion, this scale can measure the quality of communication and cooperation among health care providers in a region with acceptable reliability and validity.