Development and psychometric validation of the Patient-Reported Intensive Care Experience Measure (PRICEM) to evaluate patient experience in the intensive care unit

ORCID

Abstract

Objective: The aim of the study is to design an instrument to measure intensive care unit (ICU) experience from patients’ perspective and to evaluate its psychometric properties. Methods: The COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement INstruments (COSMIN) methodology was applied. Patients were recruited from four ICUs of a university hospital. The Patient-Reported Intensive Care Experience Measure (PRICEM) instrument draft was developed based on a systematic review and patient interviews. Content validity was tested with 16 experts, exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was tested with 200 responses and a new cohort of 219 responses was used to evaluate the final 30-item instrument by confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), criterion validity, and reliability measures. Results: The scale-level content validity index (S-CVI/Ave) was 0.96. EFA identified a five-factor structure explaining 77% of the variance, which was confirmed by the adequate results of CFA. Criterion validity was supported by positive correlations between most dimensions and overall satisfaction (Pearson’s r = 0.3–0.7; p < 0.01). The instrument demonstrated excellent overall internal consistency (α = 0.872) and Cronbach’s alpha of subscales ranging from 0.768 to 0.909. Test–retest reliability was adequate, with intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) between 0.597 and 0.966, and a low standard error of measurement (SEM = 0.093). The final 30-item PRICEM covers five domains: Communication and Emotional Support, Professionalism in Critical Care, ICU Care Environment, Transitional Care and Coordination, and Family Involvement, using a 5-point Likert scale assessing frequency of ICU care experiences. Conclusions: PRICEM, developed to measure ICU patients’ experiences, demonstrated satisfactory measurement properties. Further cross-cultural validation and multicenter refinement is warranted to enhance its applicability as a quality performance indicator in intensive care. Implications for clinical practice: PRICEM enables clinicians to better understand individual experiences in the critical care environment. Implementing PRICEM may facilitate more patient-centered strategies, ultimately enhancing the quality of intensive care.

Publication Date

2026-05-22

Publication Title

Intensive and Critical Care Nursing

Volume

96

ISSN

0964-3397

Acceptance Date

2026-05-01

Deposit Date

2026-06-12

Embargo Period

2027-05-22

Funding

This study was supported by the Critical Care Project of Shanghai Shenkang Hospital Development Center: Construction of an Informatized Teaching Platform for Critical Care Nursing (Grant No. SHDC22023229).

Keywords

Intensive Care Units, Patients, Quality of Health Care, Surveys and Questionnaire, Validation Study

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This item is under embargo until 22 May 2027

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