Development and psychometric evaluation of an instrument for medical students’ self-assessment of professionalism: Reliability, content, and construct validity of the MediProf questionnaire
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Objective: The aim of this study was to develop a self-assessment instrument for measuring medical professionalism among medical students and to conduct an initial evaluation of its psychometric properties. Methods: . It comprises a total of 64 items, of which 61 are rated on a four-point Likert scale (1=strongly disagree; 4=strongly agree) and cover four dimensions of medical professionalism: towards 1) oneself, 2) patients, 3) other healthcare professions, and 4) society. Three items assess the relevance and the extent to which the topic is addressed at the respondents' own institution. Comprehensibility and feasibility were evaluated in two pretests. In 2024, the questionnaire was administered online to 224 medical students. Statistical analyses were conducted using SPSS and Stata. In addition to calculating scale scores per dimension, item discrimination, and item difficulty, we assessed internal consistency using Cronbach's alpha (α) and conducted a confirmatory factor analysis. Multiple linear regression analyses were used to examine the influence of sociodemographic factors on self-assessed professionalism. Results: questionnaire across all 61 items (α=0.90), with good to acceptable values for the individual dimensions: 1) α=0.84; 2) α=0.75; 3) α=0.77; and 4) α=0.62. Most items showed good discrimination. The factor analysis indicated an overall relationship between the items and the four dimensions, with high interdependencies and weak factor loadings. Students rated their professionalism overall as high (mean=3.3; SD=0.2). Regression analyses revealed no significant influence of sociodemographic variables on self-assessed professionalism. The majority of participants considered the topic very important (94.5%) and called for stronger curricular integration (79.5%). Conclusions: questionnaire provides, for the first time, a German-language self-assessment instrument with good psychometric properties for measuring medical professionalism among medical students. The participants' expressed desire for stronger curricular integration highlights the importance of early and continuous promotion of professionalism throughout medical education.
Source: PubMed
DOI: 10.3205/zma001834
Authors: Fey, Larissa, Tsikas, Stefanos A., Meissner, Sarah, Hesse, Anja, Afshar, Kambiz
Institution: Medizinische Hochschule Hannover
Language: English
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7140119281
FWCI:
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