Psychometric evaluation of the cultural competence assessment instrument among healthcare providers.

Background: The relevance of healthcare provider cultural competency to the achievement of goals for reduction in extant health disparities has been demonstrated; however, there are deficits with regard to cultural competency measurement.

Objectives: To examine the test-retest reliability of the cultural competence assessment instrument (CCA) among hospice providers, and to examine the reliability and validity of the CCA among healthcare providers in nonhospice settings.

Method: Test-retest reliability of the CCA was assessed using a sample of 51 hospice respondents who completed the CCA at two time points. The internal consistency reliability and construct validity of the CCA for healthcare providers in nonhospice settings were evaluated using a convenience sample of 405 healthcare providers.

Results: The CCA demonstrated adequate test-retest reliability (r = .85, p = .002) in hospice providers over 4 months. Among healthcare providers in nonhospice settings, the CCA had an internal consistency reliability of .89 overall (.91 and .75 for the two subscales). Construct validity was supported by principal axis factor analysis, which showed two factors with item loadings above .40, explaining 56% of the variance. Mean scores of the CCA were significantly higher for providers who reported previous diversity training compared to those who had not.

Discussion: Findings for the psychometric properties of the CCA supported its potential as an instrument for measuring provider cultural competence. Knowledge gained will be useful for developing future research studies and specific cultural competence intervention approaches for healthcare providers that may decrease health disparities.