Abstract A11: Development and validation of a scale to measure patient perceived similarity to their navigator.

Background: The patient-physician relationship is strengthened when patients see themselves as similar to their physicians in personal beliefs, values, and communication. However, it is unclear whether or not this finding extends to the relationship between a patient and an allied health worker such as a navigator.

Objective: To develop and validate a brief scale that measures the extent to which patients feel they are similar to their navigator.

Methods: The Perceived Navigator Similarity (PN-S) questionnaire was adapted from the Perceived Similarities Measure (by Street, RL et al, 2008). The PN-S was developed to assess how patients perceived personal, cultural, ethnic, racial, religious, and social group similarity to their navigator. The scale was administered to 42 cancer patients assigned to the navigation arm of a randomized controlled trial. Each of the patients had the opportunity to work with their navigator (at varying intensities based on patient needs and/or preference) at some point during the first six months of their breast or colorectal cancer treatment. During their final assessment of the study, each patient was asked to complete two assessments about their relationship with their navigator in particular: Satisfaction Interpersonal Relationship with Navigator (SN-I)-and Perceived Navigator Similarity (PN-S); as well as an assessment of their Satisfaction with Care (SC) during their cancer treatment. We assessed convergent validity by examining the correlation between PN-S and SN-Iand SC. We assessed divergent validity by examining the correlation between PN-S and age, gender, education and REALM score.

Results: A principal component analyses from the PN-S questionnaire revealed two main factors: one relating to sociocultural identity/ethnic similarity (spiritual, beliefs, ethnic backgrounds, free time, race, culture, skin color) and another related to communication (speak, reason, communicate). These factors were confirmed on scale rotation. The scale showed satisfactory internal consistency (Cronbach coefficient alpha = 0.83). As hypothesized, there proved to be a statistically significant correlation between the PN-S and the 9-item Interpersonal SN-I (p=.47), as well as with the SC (p=.36). There was no statistically significant correlation between PN-S and gender, age, REALM-short form, or education.

Conclusion: The PN-S appears to be a psychometrically sound tool to measure perceived patient similarity with their navigator. Further study is needed to confirm these findings and determine whether perceived similarity is associated with improved outcomes.

Citation Information: Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2010;19(10 Suppl):A11.