Abstract

In two studies we constructed and validated (examining the structure, reliability, construct validity, and group invariance) the "Outcome Expectancy in Medical Communication Scale", designed to measure expected outcomes of the physicians about their «patient centered» interview. The participants were hospital doctors (150 in the Study 1, 74.7% males, years of service: mean = 18.90 years, range: 1-38, SD = 8.65; and 356 in the Study 2, 64.6% males, years of service: mean = 18.50 years, range: 0-40, SD = 9.75, who were administrated a self-report questionnaire. The responses of the participants underwent Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analysis, and reliability and correlation analysis. The scale, consisting in 17 items, has a three-dimensional factor structure: Positive Expected Outcomes for doctor, Positive Expected Outcomes for patient (correlating with each other), and Negative Expected Outcomes for patient and doctor. The ARCom_Med scale has excellent psychometric properties. Seniority invariance was performed. In this regard, the three dimensions of the instrument were interpreted similarly across groups. In discussing the results, we highlight the potential applications of the instrument in training aiming to enhance the communication skills of health professionals.