The Heart of Healthcare: Development and Initial Validation of ‘Malasakit’ Scale in Healthcare Services

Abstract

‘Malasakit’ is an innate Filipino identity that manifests through the compassionate actions of healthcare professionals in their patient care, resonating ‘Malasakit’ throughout our society and culture. This study aims to develop and validate a ‘Malasakit’ scale by examining the psychometric properties and exploring how ‘Malasakit’ is perceived and implemented in healthcare settings. A scale of 85 items was given to 130 professionals in various healthcare services. The results of an analysis showed that the initial framework of four factors (Empathy, Care, Compassion, and Concern) was partially confirmed using Exploratory Factorial Analysis. Using the oblique rotation method (Promax) and principal axis factoring estimation, we extracted factors to comprehend variable relationships, ensuring analytical validity. We eliminated 39 of 85 questions with factor loadings below .50. We excluded items with two-factor cross-loadings near .50. Due to persistently low factor loadings below .35, arousal and relax factors were removed. To ensure a stricter scale, all items must share above 0.70 similarities. This strict approach yielded 19 items arranged into two categories. As a key finding, two characteristics emerged: Empathy (Cognitive and Somatic Empathy), found in the literature, and Compassion (Multicultural Competence Care, Reflective Patient-Centered Care, Affective Empathy, and Hospitality), emerging in Filipino health care services. The study found that the scale can assess empathy and care in healthcare services, including factors specific to Filipino healthcare practices.