1*Department of Anatomy, Jagannath Gupta Institute of Medical Sciences and Hospital, Kolkata, India
Introduction: Compassion and empathy are foundational to quality healthcare, yet many existing measurement tools are Western-centric and do not fully reflect Indian cultural nuances or health-system realities (1,2). This study describes the development and validation of the Compassionate Score Card, a brief, context-sensitive scale designed to assess compassionate care among Indian healthcare professionals.
Material and Methods: Development followed a three-phase process. Phase 1 (item generation) integrated a review of international "gold standard" measures, such as the Sinclair Compassion Questionnaire, with hospital fieldwork involving semi-structured interviews and focus groups. This resulted in an item pool covering four domains: relational communication, sensitivity to patient context, professional behaviour, and active response to suffering. Phase 2 involved content and face validity testing with an expert panel (n=13) and cognitive interviews (n=20). Phase 3 consisted of psychometric testing with a larger sample, utilizing exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, Cronbach's alpha, and test-retest reliability (3,4).
Results: The final CSC is a concise scale with high internal consistency and stable test-retest scores. Factor analysis supported a structure aligned with four domains: communication, sensitivity, insight, and action. The tool exhibited strong convergent and divergent validity through correlations with established compassion and person-centred care measures (5,6). Minimal floor and ceiling effects were observed, suggesting high sensitivity for evaluating training interventions.
Conclusion: The CSC is a culturally grounded tool adapted to Indian clinical realities, including high patient loads and family-centred care. It offers a human-centred framework for assessing and strengthening compassionate practice. Future research should focus on cross-regional validation and examining links between CSC scores, patient safety, and staff well-being (7,8).
Keywords: empathy measurement; cultural adaptation; medical education; psychometric validation; professional detachment; patient-centered care.
How to cite this article: Majumdar S, Chunder R, Sarkar A. Development and Validation of the Compassionate Score Card: A Culturally Adapted Empathy Scale for Indian Healthcare Professionals. Int J Drug Deliv Technol. 2026;16(15s): 432-439. DOI: 10.25258/ijddt.16.15s.51
Source of support: Nil.
Conflict of interest: None