Inpatients' Perception of Patient-Centered Care in Guangdong Province, China: A Cross-Sectional Study.

This study aimed to investigate the perceptions of patient-centered care (PCC) among inpatients in Guangdong Province (GD), China. Based on these perspectives, we sought to understand existing PCC practices in medical institutions and identify the impacts of inpatients' sociodemographic status on their perceived PCC. A self-developed PCC questionnaire was used to investigate inpatients' perceptions of PCC. A cross-sectional survey was conducted in nine tertiary-level hospitals across five cities in GD. Descriptive statistics was used to describe the levels of PCC in GD. The differences in PCC levels across different sociodemographic groups were assessed using analysis of variance and multivariate linear regression. Valid responses were provided by 1863 inpatients. The mean overall PCC score was 8.58 (standard deviation [SD] = 1.36); inpatients from the Pearl River Delta and eastern GD area reported significantly higher scores than those from western and northern GD area (P<.01). Inpatients from rural areas tended to report lower PCC scores than their urban counterparts. Among the PCC questionnaire sub-domains, inpatients scored highest and lowest in "patient experience" (mean = 8.96, SD = 1.34) and "medical insurance" (mean = 7.93, SD = 2.05), respectively. This study provided a comprehensive overview of inpatients' perceptions of PCC in the public healthcare system in GD, China. Our findings highlighted that a majority of inpatients were satisfied with the PCC in public healthcare system; however, a significant discrepancy between inpatients with different sociodemographic status remained.

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on intention to use traditional Chinese medicine: A cross-sectional study based on the theory of planned behavior.

OBJECTIVE: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has become an increasingly severe public health emergency. Although traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has helped to combat COVID-19, public perception of TCM remains controversial. We used the theory of planned behavior (TPB) to identify factors that affect the intention to use TCM. METHODS: A cross-sectional web-based survey of 10,824 individuals from the general public was conducted between March 16 and April 2, 2020. The participants were recruited using a snowball sampling method. Data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire, based on the TPB. The questionnaire consisted of demographic characteristics and TPB structures. Structural equation modeling was used to identify predictors of intention. RESULTS: The results indicated the model explained 77.5% and 71.9% of intention and attitude variance. Intention to use TCM had the strongest relationship with attitude (P < 0.001), followed by past behavior (P < 0.001), subjective norms (P < 0.001) and perceived behavioral control (P < 0.001). Attitudes toward TCM were significantly affected by perceived behavioral control (P < 0.001), subjective norms (P < 0.001) and cognition of TCM (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Attitude is a key factor in determining the intention to use TCM, followed by past behaviors, subjective norms and perceived behavioral control. Our results offer important implications for health policy makers to promote the use of TCM.

Psychometric Evaluation of the Chinese Version of the Decision Regret Scale.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the decision regret scale (DRSc). METHODS: The data of 704 patients who completed the DRSc were used for the analyses. We evaluated the construct, convergent/discriminant, and known-group validity; internal consistency and test-retest reliability; and the item invariance of the DRSc. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was employed to confirm the optimal cutoff point of the scale. RESULTS: A confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) indicated that a one-factor model fits the data. The internal consistency (α = 0.74) and test-retest reliability [intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) = 0.71] of the DRSc were acceptable. The DRSc demonstrated unidimensionality and invariance for use across the sexes. It was confirmed that an optimal cutoff point of 25 could discriminate between patients with high and low decisional regret during clinical practice. CONCLUSION: The DRSc is a parsimonious instrument that can be used to measure the uncertainty inherent in medical decisions. It can be employed to provide knowledge, offer support, and elicit patient preferences in an attempt to promote shared decision-making.

Validation of the Toronto Empathy Questionnaire (TEQ) Among Medical Students in China: Analyses Using Three Psychometric Methods.

This study aimed to validate the simplified Chinese version of the Toronto Empathy Questionnaire (cTEQ) for use with the Chinese population. The original English version of the TEQ was translated into simplified Chinese based on international criteria. Psychometric analyses were performed based on three psychometric methods: classical test theory (CTT), item response theory (IRT), and Rasch model theory (RMT). Differential item functioning analysis was adopted to check possible item bias caused by responses from different subgroups based on sex and ethnicity. A total of 1296 medical students successfully completed the TEQ through an online survey; 75.2% of respondents were female and the average age was 19 years old. Forty students completed the questionnaire 2 weeks later to assess the test-retest reliability of the questionnaire. Confirmatory factor analysis supported a 3-factor structure of the cTEQ. The CTT analyses confirmed that the cTEQ has sound psychometric properties. However, IRT and RMT analyses suggested some items might need further modifications and revisions.