Translation and transcultural adaptation of instrument for professionalism assessment among physicians

Abstract:

Introduction:

The discussion about medical professionalism is relatively recent and the topic has become increasingly frequent in publications on medical education. It is a complex concept, since it is a competence that involves a set of attributes, knowledge, skills, and behaviors that are influenced by the political and socio-cultural context. Several strategies have been proposed for its assessment, but no specific instrument validated for Brazilian Portuguese was identified in the literature.

Objective:

To translate and do the transcultural adaptation of a questionnaire for assessing medical professionalism.

Methods:

The Penn State College of Medicine Professionalism Questionnaire was translated and cross-culturally adapted according to recommendations found in the literature. Reliability and internal consistency were assessed by Cronbach’s alpha.

Results:

The translation and cultural adaptation resulted in a questionnaire with 37 items with good semantic, idiomatic, experiential, and conceptual validity. Cronbach’s alpha (0.886) showed good reliability.

Conclusions:

The final instrument showed good validity, internal consistency, and reliability. It can be used both in the continuing education of physicians and in medical education, as a tool for reflection and assessment.

Keywords:
Medical Education; Medicine; Professionalism; Translation