Hospitalist morale index is validated instrument

(HealthDay)—The Hospitalist Morale Index is a valid instrument for assessing hospitalist morale, according to a study published online March 10 in the Journal of Hospital Medicine.

Shalini Chandra, M.D., from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, and colleagues identified 46 drivers of hospitalist morale in order to develop a valid instrument to assess morale. A 28-item/seven-factor instrument emerged from exploratory factor analysis. The refined scale was distributed to 108 hospitals from two academic and three community hospitals in May 2011. The Hospitalist Morale Index was validated internally and refined using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA).

As a result of the final CFA, a five-factor and five-stand-alone-item model was generated. The researchers observed normal distribution of personal morale scores. For every categorical increase on a global question that examined overall morale, there was a 0.23-point increase in personal morale scores (P < 0.001). For each one-point increase in personal morale score, there was an 85 percent reduction in the odds of planning to leave because of unhappiness (odds ratio, 0.15; P < 0.001).

"The Hospitalist Morale Index is a validated instrument that evaluates hospitalist morale across multiple dimensions of morale," the authors write. "The Hospitalist Morale Index may help program leaders monitor morale and develop customized and effective retention strategies."