title: [Establishing reliability and validity of the Chinese version of the jefferson scale of empathy (healthcare providers version)].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Empathy is an important concept and necessary skill for healthcare providers. Many studies have adopted the Jefferson Scale of Empathy - Healthcare Providers Version (JSE-HP) to collect data used to measure healthcare provider empathy. However, this scale has not been used to assess healthcare providers in Taiwan.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  Study purposes were to: (a) translate the JSE-HP into Chinese, (b) examine validity and reliability of the translated scale, and (c) use the scale to measure empathy in a sample of Taiwan healthcare providers.
  
  
  METHODS
  Researchers used a backward translation approach to translate the JSE-HP into Chinese in order to ensure translation accuracy. Researchers then administered the JSE-HP Chinese version to 660 nurses working at a hospital in southern Taiwan. The study analyzed face validity, construct validity, internal consistency, and split-half reliability.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean empathy score for participants was 110.66. Factor analysis with principal components analysis indicated the JSE-HP scale as composed of three primary components, which accounted for 52.4% of total variance. Item composition in each component was found to be consistent with the conceptual framework of empathy. Reliability estimates, including Cronbach's alpha and split-half correlation coefficients, were 0.90 and 0.93, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study suggests that the psychometric characteristics of the JSE-HP Chinese version make it valid for application in future research on Taiwanese healthcare provider empathy.
authors: Department of Nursing, Buddhist Dalin Tzu Chi General Hospital, ROC.
authors: Jung-Feng
authors: JF
authors: Cheng
authors: Yu-Min
authors: YM
authors: Lai
authors: Hanoch
authors: H
authors: Livneh
authors: Tzung-Yi
authors: TY
authors: Tsai
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D004645:Empathy; D005260:Female; D006282:Health Personnel; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D013624:Taiwan