Measuring consultation skills in primary care in England: evaluation and development of content of the MAAS scale.
BACKGROUND
Consultation skills are essential for general practice. Tools for measuring consultation skills in everyday practice are not well developed


OBJECTIVE
To examine and develop the content validity of the MAAS History-taking and Advice Checklist GP (MAAS-GP) tool which is used in The Netherlands for testing consultation skills, with simulated patients in United Kingdom general practice from the perspectives of both general practitioners and patients.


METHODS
Qualitative research using semi-structured interviews.


METHODS
Alternate patients attending seven general practices in the north west of England.


METHODS
Thematic analysis of the contents of patient and GP interviews, and of focus groups, mapping key themes to the MAAS-GP.


RESULTS
There was strong agreement between patients and GPs on issues mapping to 46 out of 68 items of the MAAS-GP. Eight further MAAS-GP items were linked to issues only raised by patients and four to issues raised only by GPs. The remaining 10 items could not be related to issues raised by either. All of the issues raised by GPs could be mapped but 27 patient items could not. These were included in a revised checklist, the Liverpool MAAS (LIV-MAAS).


CONCLUSIONS
the revised tool seems to have content validity in measuring consultation skills. Measurement of its relability is now required.
Robinson
J
J
Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, University of Liverpool.
Walley
Tom
T
Pearson
M
M
Taylor
D
D
Barton
Stuart
S
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002983:Clinical Competence / Q000592:standards*; D004739:England; D005194:Family Practice / Q000592:standards*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008487:Medical History Taking / Q000592:standards*; D008875:Middle Aged; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D018802:Patient-Centered Care; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires / Q000592:standards*