Scale Overview
The Perceived Quality of Medical Care – PQMC was developed by Virginia P. Richmond, Ralph S. Smith, Alan M. Heisel, & James C. McCroskey (1998). It is designed to measure Perceived Quality of Medical Care. The scale is intended for use with Adults.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 6 items.
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 1 = 1 (Strongly associate with left adjective), 2 = 2, 3 = 3, 4 = 4 (Undecided), 5 = 5, 6 = 6, 7 = 7 (Strongly associate with right adjective).
The scale includes 4 reverse-scored items to reduce acquiescence bias.
Scoring
Items are summed to produce a total score.
Total scores range from 6 to 42. Interpretation guidelines:
- Low Perceived Quality: 6 – 18
- Moderate/Undecided Perceived Quality: 19 – 29
- High Perceived Quality: 30 – 42
Administration
The scale is self-administered and typically takes approximately 2 minutes to complete. It can be administered individually or in group settings. No special training is required for administration.