Quality of Clinical Teaching in Residency Training: Determining the Validity and Reliability of the EFFECT Questionnaire in Iran

Background: One of the most important determinant, affecting the quality of a proper evaluation is the availability of an effective instrument that can precisely assess the target goals. A systematic review showed that instruments available so far, do not comprehensively cover all domains of clinical teaching. This study aimed to determine the validity and reliability of the Iranian version of EFFECT questionnaire in the society of medical residents of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences. This instrument was designed and validated at the Radboud University Medical Centre in the Netherland.Methods: Data was virtually collected between the years 2018-2019. A team of three relevant experts was present to determine the formal validity. Content validation was also performed by 10 experts in 3 domain of simplicity, relevance and clarity. To determine the validity of the instrument, 100 questionnaires were completed by residents from 10 different disciplines and confirmatory factor analysis was performed. The reliability of the items was assessed by Cronbach's alpha.Findings: Content validity was confirmed in two stages by teams of 3 and 10 experts from the respective specialist fields. The confirmatory factor analysis model shows that the relevant indicators and questions are at an acceptable level of competence. Structural equation modeling also shows that none of the questions are removed from the model. Cronbach's alpha of variables was calculated to be greater than 0.8 for the instrument and its domains.Conclusion: This study shows that the Iranian version of the EFFECT questionnaire is valid and reliable and can be used to assess the quality of clinical teaching in residency training in Iran.