Psychometric properties of the Persian version of the Anesthetic Trainee Theatre Educational Environment Measure (ATEEM)

Background: The quality improvement of medical education programs and the ongoing reform of the curriculum should be done in the light of clinical training fields and identifying the strengths and improving the weaknesses. Therefore, this study was conducted to evaluate the validity and reliability of ATEEM (Anesthetic Trainee Theatre Educational Environment Measure) questionnaire for assessing learning environment of anesthesiology residents in educational centers affiliated to 3 main medical schools in Tehran, Iran. Methods: This study was conducted on first to fourth year anesthesiology residents using a questionnaire. Validity (face, content, construct) and reliability of ATEEM questionnaire was investigated. Construct validity was measured by confirmatory factor analysis, stability of reliability by test-retest, and internal consistency by Cronbach's alpha. Results: A total of 156 questionnaires out of 190 were fully answered, returned by residents of anesthesiology, and analysis were performed (82% response rate; 44.5% male (n=69); 55.5% female (n=86)). The age range of respondents was 26 to 48 years. The mean total ATEEM score was 114.03 out of 160. Face and content validity of the questionnaire was approved. Content validity ratio (CVR) and content validity index (CVI) were 0.63 and 0.88, respectively. Fitness indices in confirmatory factor analysis were greater than 0.9, and RMSEA (root mean square error of approximation) index was less than 0.08 (0.07). This indicator measures the acceptability of fitness and it is an appropriate measurement model. The average reliability coefficient was 0.73 and the overall Cronbach's alpha coefficient was 0.959. Conclusion: The results of this study showed that the Persian version of the ATEEM questionnaire, with appropriate psychometric properties, can be used to evaluate the anesthetic trainee theatre learning environment used in hospitals.