Rasch analysis of an intimate partner violence tool for healthcare students

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a significant public health issue, and healthcare professionals are in a unique position to identify and support individuals experiencing IPV. However, research highlights gaps in healthcare professionals' readiness to address IPV. The Physician Readiness to Manage Intimate Partner Violence Survey (PREMIS) is a validated instrument used to assess clinical readiness, but its application among students remains underexplored. This study aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of the PREMIS subscales for perceived preparation (PP) and perceived knowledge (PK) using the Rasch Rating Scale Model among students. A total of 381 students from the medicine, nursing, pharmacy, and dentistry programs at an academic medical center participated in an interprofessional educational activity related to IPV and completed an adapted version of the PREMIS instrument. After excluding respondents with complete non-responses, 307 students were included. Rasch analyses assessed the dimensionality, item fit, rating-scale functioning, item difficulty, and person ability of the PP and PK subscales separately, and examined differential item functioning across professional group and sex. Rasch analysis supported the unidimensionality of the PP and PK subscales. Most items demonstrated acceptable fit statistics. The rating scale functioned well after the two lowest categories were collapsed. Items varied in difficulty, allowing for effective discrimination of student readiness levels, while demonstrating reduced discrimination at higher ability levels. No items showed bias across professional groups or sex. Findings support the validity evidence of PREMIS PP and PK subscales when used with healthcare students. Validating this tool in a student population lays the groundwork for evaluating IPV education and developing interventions to improve IPV preparedness across healthcare disciplines.