Capacity for Healthcare Interprofessional Collaboration (CHIC) Scale
A validated instrument for healthcare professionals
ABOUT THE INSTRUMENT
The CHIC Scale is rooted deeply in research.
Interprofessional education and collaboration (IPEC) are complex and vital functions of effective healthcare. Yet, current instruments continue to rely on measures of self-reported competency, targeting a few select or siloed functions within healthcare teams. Few studies are comprehensive and measure the adaptive process of human relationships and their changing capacity for the collaborative process.
- 21 Multiple-choice questions
- 6 Factors, each validated as a stand-alone measure
- Predictive qualities through mediation
This study developed and validated the Capacity for Healthcare Interprofessional Collaboration scale (CHIC) to measure interdependent behaviors that make collaboration possible and healthcare teams effective. The CHIC scale demonstrates internal consistency, convergent, discriminant, and predictive validity with good model fit. In addition to measuring collaborative capacity, mediation analysis demonstrates the predictive validity of the CHIC scale to identify education and training needs in a collaborative capacity.
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Hospitals
Healthcare Professions
Assessments
Why do brilliant and caring healthcare professionals sometimes have difficulty collaborating?
As healthcare continues to push boundaries in every direction, we still struggle to integrate our collective knowledge and skills.
- Based on the Capabilities Approach and grounded in Social Exchange Theory
- Developed and validated using a wide range of healthcare-related professions and disciplines
- Provides clear direction for leadership decisions
- Powerful action plan templates available
The CHIC Scale provides insight into delivering excellent patient-centered care through building better collaborations. In addition to providing useful feedback for individuals, the same tool can be used at a team, department, or organizational level. It also has validated predictive qualities that can be used to determine how a team will perform together.
SCORING THE INSTRUMENT
The CHIC Scale is versatile.
The CHIC Scale is scored automatically when using the assessment link above. It can also be calculated manually using the information in the materials referenced on this website. The documentation provided can be used to create an offline paper version of the instrument for a wide range of applications. The online assessment is provided free of charge, and completed assessments also provide insights for ongoing support to improve the quality and reach of the efforts to use the CHIC scale.
- 7 Assessment levels
- Built-in reference results provide context for measurements
- Numeric values offer supplemental insights for additional comparative improvements
The factors and the total measurement have different minimum and maximum values because they are determined by the number of questions in each group. Since the response scale uses the same 7-point Likert scale across all questions, the resulting assessment values can be distributed into a common framework. The point spread of the thresholds reflects the distribution of values used to delineate the differences between the levels.
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Capacity for collaboration changes over time.
While some aspects of the CHIC Scale may not change much between assessments, other parts may represent a dynamic condition. Therefore, the CHIC Scale should be used at key points during any significant project or other ongoing collaborative efforts.
- Uses a growth index to promote an improvement mindset
- Scorecard evaluation standardizes efforts
- Thresholds provide relative context for current capacity levels
- Team assessment builds upon individual inventories of capacity.
Each scoring level offers helpful content and resources to improve collaboration capacity. These assets are based on professional insights, peer-reviewed research, and other accepted sources. Such guides provide a useful framework for improvement and additional development. Content for various levels of individual, team, and organizational development is indicated where available.
TESTIMONIALS
Healthcare professionals recognize the CHIC Scale as an asset for professional reflection and interprofessional collaboration.
This is a super important topic. I have seen patient's literally die because a nurse was too afraid to approach a doctor when she knew something was wrong with the patient. This issue can literally save lives!
I enjoyed it I think collaboration is very important in helping provide the best possible patient centered care.
I wish the office would ask questions like this to find out how the employees feel about stress and how it affects the collaboration process and areas in our working field.
This made me think about things at work and how I need to continue working harder to build my team!
Makes me think of where I am and what I need to do to collaborate more efficiently and effectivelly to be the best advocate for my patient.
It would be great to see interprofessional relations/collaboration normalized a bit more, the most commons are doctors-nurses, but we need to make it a norm to communicate with OT, PT, ST, RDs, etcs. Thank you for this.
Factors
Each factor that makes up the CHIC Scale has also been validated as an independent and integrated assessment tool.
Resilience
Measures the relationship between healthcare professionals and the effect work has on their well-being.
Awareness
The presence of mind during social interactions affects the quality of those relationships
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What does the CHIC Scale measure?
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What does the CHIC Scale measure?
The CHIC Scale assesses personal and environmental factors that affect an individual's ability to participate in interprofessional collaboration.
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Why is capacity an important part of delivering quality care?
The Capabilities Approach suggests that an individual's abilities are facilitated by the capacity to use the resources that support those abilities.
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Why is access to the CHIC Scale free?
When the CHIC Scale was being developed, there was some discussion about restricting access to those purchasing consultation services from Pearson Innovation. Some reports suggest that it takes 20 years for research to make it to the bedside; we thought that was much too long. Access to the CHIC Scale is free because we want to remove any barriers to its use and support efforts to improve healthcare through better collaboration.
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Why are there only 21 questions?
A deep review of the literature indexed over 200 related instruments. Using a thematic analysis, seven categories were developed, and 108 questions made it through to the survey process. Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) reduced the number of questions needed to 21, and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) validated the model.
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Which healthcare professions have used the CHIC Scale?
The CHIC Scale was developed with an understanding that many disciplines are needed to provide excellent patient care. Here are a few of the types of healthcare professionals that participated in validating the CHIC Scale:
Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN), Bio-medical Engineer, Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA), Child Life Professional, Chiropractor, Clergy / Pastoral Care Professional, Dentist, Dietitian, Education Administrator, Healthcare Administrator, Laboratory Scientist, Laboratory Tech, Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN), Nurse (RN), Occupational Therapist, Patient Care Tech, Pharmacist, Physical Therapist, Physician, Physician Assistant, Psychologist, Public Health Professional, Radiology Tech, Researcher, Respiratory Therapist, Social Worker, Speech-Language Pathologists, Translator and many others!
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