Measuring system readiness for equity in sepsis care: Survey development and psychometrics.

BACKGROUND

Achieving racial equity in sepsis care is a complex challenge that requires organizational readiness across multiple domains, such as culture and capacity.

OBJECTIVES

This study provides a validated tool to empirically measure health system readiness to address structural racism in sepsis care, essential for improving health equity and patient outcomes.

METHODS

This study employed a mixed methods approach involving three key steps: adaptation, cognitive interviews, and psychometric analysis. The novel survey was first adapted based on a literature review and expert input. Cognitive interviews were conducted with healthcare professionals to refine the survey items. Finally, reliability testing was performed for psychometric analysis in measuring health system readiness to address structural racism in sepsis care. The survey was developed in the context of Champions Advancing Racial Equity in Sepsis (CARES), a coalition-based leadership intervention to equip health systems and their surrounding communities to identify and address racial inequities in sepsis care and outcomes. Senior and mid-level and front-line champions from across disciplines and departments that influence sepsis care (N = 30) participated in the survey.

RESULTS

The survey consisted of five domains: learning and problem solving (10 items, Cronbach's α = 0.815), stress/pressure in the system (4 items, Cronbach's α = .779), psychological safety (7 items, Cronbach's α = .515), senior leadership support (4 items, Cronbach's α = .744), and strategic planning process (5 items, Cronbach's α = .918). Overall, the entire scale (30 items) was found to have excellent reliability (Cronbach's α = .908).

CONCLUSIONS

This study adapted and validated a novel survey to measure health system readiness to address structural racism in sepsis care, providing a reliable tool for identifying areas for improvement and guiding targeted interventions to enhance health equity.