Abstrakt
The aim of this study was to examine the Jefferson Scale of Physician Empathy (JSPE-HP) underlying dimensionality and the relation of empathy scores to age, gender, practice experience, and practice type using responses from a representative sample of Czech physicians. Subjects and setting.
The JSPE-HP was administered to a sample of 1,305 respondents selected using the hierarchical random proportional stratified sampling technique representing Czech physicians from the viewpoint of region, practice type, gender, and age. Results.
The structure of the instrument was examined using EFA and the findings were tested on different sample using CFA. Three inter-correlated primary factors were identified with a marginally acceptable fit.
High-order EFA employing Schmid-Leiman orthgonalization identified a general factor explaining 73.3% of the common variance with 26.7% explained by the first-order factors beyond the general factor. Cronbach's alpha for total scale was 0.842 and no clinically important effect of age, gender, practice type, and professional orientation on physicians' empathy score was found.
The substantially lower mean empathy score of Czech physicians in comparison to that reported for US physicians is worthy of consideration. The results of this study indicate that the Czech version of JSPE-HP is an unidimensional scale, psychometrically comparable to the US version, and a sound instrument for self-reported assessment of the empathetic behavior of Czech physicians.
Study limitation. The extrapolation of findings may be limited as the sample was representative of Czech physicians only from the viewpoint of four variables: region, practice type, gender, and age.
Also, a self-report measure of empathy may not be necessarily a reflection of actual behavior in medical practice.