Validation of the postgraduate hospital educational environment measure at a Saudi university medical school

OBJECTIVE: The English version of the postgraduate hospital educational environment measure (PHEEM) was evaluated to determine its psychometric properties, validity, and internal consistency. The instrument was used to measure the clinical learning environment in the hospital setting of a Saudi university medical school.

METHODS: This cross-sectional study was performed in a Saudi medical school between June and August 2012. The postgraduate hospital educational environment measure was administered to interns (house officers) and residents rotating at a Saudi university hospital. Means and mean ranks were calculated. The effects of training stage (intern versus resident) and gender (male versus female) on the PHEEM scores were estimated. Construct validity was measured using exploratory factor analysis, and internal consistency was measured using Cronbach's alpha.

RESULTS: In this study, 193 interns and residents responded to the PHEEM. The response rate was 100%. The internal consistency of the 40-item questionnaire was 0.936 (Cronbach’s alpha) with a maximum score of 160. The PHEEM mean score was 89.21 +/- 21.6.

CONCLUSION: The PHEEM is a valid and highly reliable instrument that can be applied to measure the educational environment among interns and residents in hospital-based clerkships. The hospital training environment was positive, and the interns were more satisfied than the residents. Gender had no influence on the perceptions of the hospital’s educational environment.