Shengchao Hou,1,2 Xiubo Wang,1 Zizhao Zhao,1 Yongqiang Ma,1 Jing Liu,3 Ziyun Zhang,2 Jingdong Ma1 

1School of Medicine and Health Management, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, People’s Republic of China; 2Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, People’s Republic of China; 3Administrative Office, Yuebei People’s Hospital, Shaoguan, People’s Republic of China

Correspondence: Jingdong Ma, School of Medicine and Health Management, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, No. 13 Hangkong Road, Wuhan, 430030, People’s Republic of China, Email jdma@hust.edu.cn

Purpose: Advancements in electronic health (eHealth) technology have profoundly impacted patient engagement. This study aimed to develop and validate the Electronic Patient Engagement Behavior (EPEB) scale to measure the conceptual and underlying framework of patient engagement behaviors in an eHealth context.
Patients and Methods: Initial measurement items were generated based on a literature review and qualitative research. Two rounds of surveys, a pilot survey and validation survey, were conducted to evaluate the psychometric properties of the scale.
Results: The EPEB scale consists of 15 items in four dimensions: disease information search, physician-patient interaction, social interaction between patients, and disease self-monitoring. In the pilot survey, the exploratory factor analysis revealed a four-factor model, explaining 69.411% of variance. In the validation survey, the Cronbach’s α coefficient of each sub-scale was 0.865, 0.904, 0.904, and 0.900 respectively. The Spearman-Brown split coefficient of the scale was 0.963. The results of the cross-sex measurement equivalence test indicate that all fit indices met the measurement criteria. The confirmatory factor analysis indicated second-order 4-factor model fit the data well. The EPEB has a good reliability and validity.
Conclusion: The EPEB scale provides a reliable tool for measuring patient engagement behaviors in the eHealth context. The utilization of this scale may yield valuable insights into strategies for enhancing patient engagement and optimizing health outcomes.

Keywords: patient engagement behaviors, electronic health, scale development, evaluation, validation