The ethical attitude of dentists scale: development and psychometric properties

Abbas  Ebadi; Amirahmad  Shojaei; Bagher  Larijani; Mohammad   Sadegh Akhoundi; Azam Khorshidian

doi:10.18502/jmehm.v15i12.11568

Abbas Ebadi Professor, Behavioral Sciences Research Center, Life Style institute, Faculty of Nursing, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Amirahmad Shojaei Assistant Professor, Medical Ethics and History of Medicine Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; Department of Medical Ethics, School of Medicine, Tehran, University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Bagher Larijani Professor, Medical Ethics and History of Medicine Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; Endocrinology and Metabolism Research Center, Endocrinology and Metabolism Clinical Sciences Institute, Tehran, Iran.
Mohammad Sadegh Akhoundi Professor, Dental Research Center, Dentistry Research Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Azam Khorshidian Researcher, Dental Research Center, Dentistry Research Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran;Medical Ethics and History of Medicine Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18502/jmehm.v15i12.11568

Keywords: Code of ethics; Dentistry; Attitude; Psychometrics.

Abstract

One critical tactic that leads to a better understanding of the ethical status of dentists is to assess their ethical attitude by using an appropriate scale. This study aimed to design and evaluate the validity and reliability of the ethical attitude of dentists scale (EADS).

This study was conducted based on a mixed‐method design. The first qualitative part of the study was conducted in 2019 and the items of the scale were produced from the ethical codes compiled in a previous study. In this part, the psychometric analysis was conducted. The reliability was evaluated by Cronbach's alpha coefficient and intraclass correlation coefficient. Factor analysis was used to assess the construct validity (n = 511), and the following three factors were extracted with a total variance of 48.03. 1) Maintaining the standing of the profession in relationships.

2) Providing dental services while maintaining trust in the profession, and 3) Providing information for the benefit of the patient.

In confirmatory factor analysis, appropriate values were obtained for the goodness of fit indices, and Cronbach’s alpha was 0.68 - 0.84 for the various factors. Based on the results mentioned above, this scale showed an appropriate validity and reliability for measuring the ethical attitude of dentists.