Measurement Model of Women’s Preferences in Obstetrician and Gynecologist Selection in the Private Sector: Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analysis

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study is to construct and validate a measurement model of women’s preferences in Obstetrician and Gynecologist (OB/GYN) selection in the private sector of non-clinical parameters. METHODS: This methodological study included 462 respondents in OB/GYN’s offices to a researcher-made questionnaire. The patients visited 57 offices of OB/GYNs in the city of Mashhad in Iran and completed women’s preferences in OB/GYN selection questionnaire over a 2-month period from January to February 2018. Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) was conducted to verify the instrument’s construct validity. Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) was used to test whether the data fit our hypothesized model obtained from EFA model. RESULTS: The first draft of the questionnaire was prepared with 118 items based on literature review. The outcome of content validity assessment was a 51-item questionnaire. Scale-Content Validity Index (S-CVI) turned out to be 0.80. The results of EFA yielded an instrument with 33 items in six domains, which explained 52.657% of the total variance of the questionnaire. With performing CFA, the 6-factor model with 29 items demonstrated a good fit with the data (CFI=0.952, CMIN/DF=1.613, RMSEA=0.036). Availability and Accessibility, Communicational Skills, Office Environment, Recommendation by Others, Special Services, and Cost and Insurance were found to define the women’s preferences in OB/GYN selection in private sector, Iran. CONCLUSION: The developed measurement model considers the patient’s preferences that influence decision-making process on OB/GYN selection. It can provide useful knowledge for OB/GYNs and policymakers to design appropriate and efficient marketing strategies according to the consumer preferences priority.