Establishing the content validity in Hong Kong of the prioritised criteria of consultation competence in the Leicester Assessment Package (LAP)

Abstract

Objective: To test the content validity in Hong Kong of the prioritised criteria of consultation competence in the Leicester Assessment Package (LAP). Design: A detailed questionnaire was sent to doctors with experience of family medicine in Hong Kong to seek their views on the seven prioritised consultation categories and 39 component competences in the LAP on a six-point scale (strongly approve to strongly disapprove). Respondents also had the opportunity to reject or suggest alternative categories, components and/or weightings. Background demographic and professional data were collected. Subjects: 489 full members of the HKCFP with current Hong Kong postal address. Main outcome measure: The respondents' collated levels of approval of the LAP consultation categories, component competences and weightings and any consensus for changes. Results: There was a response rate of 57%. Of the respondents 92%, and 82% to 97% either strongly approved or approved of the overall LAP set of consultation categories and the individual categories respectively. Thirty-seven of the 39 suggested component competences were supported by more than 80% of respondents. There was little support for excluding, including or shifting any categories or component competences. Ninety-three percent of respondents were in favour of the need to identify priorities between any categories of consultation competence and 88% of respondents expressed approval of the suggested weightings. Conclusion: The high levels of approval from respondents suggest that the content validity of the categories and components of consultation competence in the LAP has been established in Hong Kong and that the LAP weightings of consultation categories have also been validated. Indeed, the results closely correlate with the findings of the original study in the United Kingdom. The LAP criteria of consultation competence may be used with confidence as measures against which consultation performance can be judged in formative or regulatory assessment (and improvement) of consultation competence in family medicine in Hong Kong.