Abstract
Introduction:
Acupuncturists must treat their patients empathetically, as this influences the outcome of acupuncture treatment. While the Consultation and Relational Empathy (CARE) measure is used globally to assess physician’s empathy from the patient’s perspective, to our knowledge, it has not been validated as a tool to assess acupuncturists’ empathy with general patients.
Objective:
To evaluate the validity and reliability of the Japanese version of the CARE measure to assess acupuncturist’s empathy from the patient’s perspective.
Methods:
A total of 22 acupuncturists participated in this study. Face validity was examined by the number of “not applicable” and missing items in the Japanese CARE measure. Construct (convergent) validity was evaluated based on the correlation between the Japanese CARE measure total score and overall treatment satisfaction. Internal consistency was measured using Cronbach’s alpha coefficient. Inter-rater reliability was examined based on generalizability theory. Principal component loadings were obtained using principal component analysis.
Results:
A total of 669 questionnaires were analyzed (response rate of 80.0%). The number of “not applicable” (0%–1.2%) and missing (0%–0.4%) responses were minimal, confirming face validity. The Japanese CARE measure total score and overall treatment satisfaction showed a strong positive correlation (Spearman’s ρ = 0.719, p < 0.001), confirming construct (convergent) validity. The questionnaire demonstrated high internal consistency with a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.979, confirming the reliability of internal consistency. To reliably estimate an acupuncturist’s empathy, 24 patient ratings per acupuncturist were needed. One principal component was identified.
Conclusion:
This study confirms the validity and reliability of the Japanese CARE measure for acupuncturists. It is expected to be utilized in both clinical practice and research.
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