Abstract
Background:
Respiratory therapists (RTs) now face both problems and possibilities as a result of the profound changes in healthcare over the decade that has passed. In order to determine RT recruitment and retention, it will be crucial to consider how they perceive their career prospects and level of job satisfaction. However, no research has been published that thoroughly evaluated these factors using a valid and accurate RT-specific metric. The creation and psychometric testing of a standardized questionnaire for assessing RTs’ general job satisfaction was our goal.
Methods:
A primary questionnaire for exploratory factor analysis was prepared following expert consultation and RT interviews. A confirmatory factor analysis was performed on the 49 items of the structured questionnaire to corroborate the theorized factor structure and content validity. Confirmatory factor analysis, structural equation modeling (SEM), and principal component analysis were performed for the global fit. The internal consistency was estimated using Cronbach's alpha. In India, RT samples were collected between August 2021 and January 2022.
Results:
409 RTs who work in India participated in the survey between June 2021 and January 2022 as a convenience sample. Three variables were found by the exploratory factor analysis to account for 61.2% of the total variance. (X2/df = 4.4, P = .02, standardized root-mean-square residual = 0.05, goodness of fit index = 0.94, comparative fit index = 0.98) The confirmatory factor analysis produced a 3-component structure. The whole scale's Cronbach's alpha was 0.94.
Conclusions:
Exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis are statistical methods that are commonly used in the development and validation of measurement instruments. These methods are particularly useful for evaluating the reliability and validity of questionnaires that assess the perceptions, satisfaction, and attitudes of individuals. The structured questionnaire, which has been developed using exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis, is a reliable and valid tool that can be used to assess the perceptions, satisfaction, and attitudes of respiratory therapists. The questionnaire can also be used to compare similar psychometric measures across different groups or settings. Overall, these methods and the resulting questionnaire provide a rigorous and robust approach to measuring complex constructs and can help to ensure that researchers and practitioners have access to high-quality assessment tools.
Validity and Reliability Measures
Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) results of the confirmatory factor analysis for the three-factor model (Standardized estimates)
View all access options for this article.Validity and Reliability Measures
AVE
CR
MSV
Perception
0.84
0.73
0.29
Satisfaction
0.81
0.70
0.21
Attitude
0.91
0.78
0.22
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