Abstract:
The aim of this study was to develop an instrument (University of Auckland General Practice Report of Educational Environment: UAGREE) with robust psychometric properties that measured the educational environment of undergraduate primary care. The questions, within the instrument, were also designed to incorporate measurements of how well a student's development of cultural safety was facilitated. Following a Delphi process, and an initial pilot, a list of 55 questions was developed. All Year 5 and 6 students completing a primary care attachment at The University of Auckland were invited to complete the questionnaire. The collated results were analysed using exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis. This resulted in a 16-item instrument. Three clear factors were identified explaining 53% of the variance. The items reliability within the factors were high (Learning: 0.894; Teaching: 0.871; Cultural competency: 0.857). Multiple groups analysis across genders; and separately across ethnicities did not find significant differences between the groups. UAGREE is a specific instrument measuring the undergraduate primary care educational environment. Two of its domains fit within established theoretical educational environment frameworks. The incorporation of a cultural competency domain reflects the importance of teaching cultural competency within primary care and is a response to criticisms of the lack of measurement of cultural competency within theoretical educational frameworks and instruments. In conclusion the psychometric properties of UAGREE suggest that it is a reliable measure of the primary care environment.