Short-Form Measures of Physician and Employee Judgments About Hospital Quality

Compares a short- and long-form instrument that measures physician and employee judgments about hospital care. The data for this study came from a survey fielded in 1989-1991 in a cross-sectional sample of urban and rural voluntary and investor-owned hospitals that ranged in size from 75 to 470 beds. Over 3,000 physicians in 44 hospitals and 17,000 employees in 36 hospitals were included in the analysis. Results indicated that the short form, with its 31 physician-items and 24 employee-items that took 5 to 6 minutes to complete, was as reliable as the longer, previously published form. Thus, in assessing hospital quality from the physician and employee perspective, shorter forms can be used, thereby reducing respondent burden, increasing the likelihood of an acceptable response rate, and making it more feasible for physicians and employees to assess hospital quality.