Examining the Dimensionality of Trust in the Inpatient Setting: Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analysis

Abstract

Background: Trust in healthcare providers is associated with important outcomes, but has primarily been assessed in the outpatient setting. It is largely unknown how hospitalized patients conceptualize trust in their providers. Objective: To examine the dimensionality of a measure of trust in the inpatient setting. Design: Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Participants: Hospitalized patients (N = 1756; 76% response rate) across six hospitals in the midwestern USA. The sample was randomly split such that approximately one half was used in the EFA, and the other half in the CFA. Main Measures: The Trust in Physician Scale, adapted for inpatient care. Key Results: Based on the Kaiser-Guttman criterion and parallel analysis, EFAs were inconclusive, indicating that trust may be comprised of either one or two factors in this sample. In follow-up CFAs, a 2-factor model fit best based on a chi-squared difference test (Δχ2 = 151.48(1), p