Translating and validating a Japanese version of the Patient Care Ownership Scale: a multicenter cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND: Patient care ownership (PCO) is an essential component in medical professionalism and is crucial for delivering high-quality care. The 15-item PCO Scale (PCOS) is a validated questionnaire for quantifying PCO in residents; however, no corresponding tool for assessing PCO in Japan exists. This study aimed to develop a Japanese version of the PCOS (J-PCOS) and validate it among Japanese medical trainees. METHODS: We performed a multicenter cross-sectional survey to test the validity and reliability of the J-PCOS. The study sample was trainees of postgraduate years 1–5 in Japan. The participants completed the J-PCOS questionnaire. Construct validity was assessed through exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. Internal consistency reliability was examined by calculating Cronbach’s alpha coefficients and inter-item correlations. RESULTS: During the survey period, 437 trainees at 48 hospitals completed the questionnaire. Exploratory factor analysis of the J-PCOS extracted four factors: assertiveness, sense of ownership, diligence, and being the “go-to” person. The second factor had not been identified in the original PCOS, which may be related to a unique cultural feature of Japan, namely, a historical code of personal conduct. Confirmatory factor analysis supported this four-factor model, revealing good model fit indices. The analysis results of Cronbach’s alpha coefficients and inter-item correlations indicated adequate internal consistency reliability. CONCLUSIONS: We developed the J-PCOS and examined its validity and reliability. This tool can be used in studies on postgraduate medical education. Further studies should confirm its robustness and usefulness for improving PCO. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12909-021-02853-y.