Spanish translation, cultural adaptation and validation of the Person-Centred Practice Inventory-Student (PCPI-ST): A tool for advancing person-centred care education

Aim To cross-culturally adapt the Person-Centred Practice Inventory-Student (PCPI-ST) into Spanish and to evaluate its psychometric properties in healthcare students. Background Person-centred practice (PCP) is a cornerstone of global healthcare emphasising patient empowerment, communication skills and self-management. However, preparation approaches for healthcare students vary and assessment methods often fail to capture its multidimensional nature. The PCPI-ST, grounded in an internationally recognised mid-range theory, provides a comprehensive measure of students’ self-reported PCP Design Cross-cultural adaptation and psychometric validation study design. Methods A two-stage approach: (1) translation and cultural adaptation following ‘the Translation and Cultural Adaptation of Patient Reported Outcomes Measures-Principles of Good Practice guidelines’; (2) cross-sectional survey assessing the instrument psychometric properties (internal consistency, test-retest reliability and factor analysis). Results A total of 337 Spanish university students (180 medicine and 157 nursing) were included. The process ensured cultural equivalence and accurate assessment of clarity (scale content validity index average [S-CVI/Ave] = 0.94) and relevance (S-CVI/Ave = 0.96), achieving excellent results in the content validity. The expert panel deemed the questionnaire to be easy to understand and comprehensive. Psychometric evaluation revealed acceptable internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.64–0.89). Test-retest reliability confirmed temporal stability. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses supported a three-dimensional structure consistent with the PCP framework. Fit indices improved after model refinements, achieving CFI= 0.87 and RMSEA= 0.052. Conclusions This Spanish version of the PCPI-ST, transculturally adapted and validated in healthcare students, promotes its integration into undergraduate curricula to assess PCP readiness and evaluate the efficacy of person-centred educational strategies.