Measurement instruments for perspective-taking: BEME Review No. 91

AIM: Perspective-taking is increasingly valued as an important competence to deliver person-centered care. It is conceptualized as a facet of cognitive empathy, but also connected to other attitudes and competences. Multiple studies report on educational interventions focused on perspective-taking, but an overview of instruments to measure perspective-taking is lacking. This scoping review aims to get insight into the instruments currently used to measure perspective taking in different educational fields and healthcare settings.

METHODS: A systematic search was conducted in seven databases. After screening for eligibility by multiple authors, 60 articles were included. The ascertained measurement instruments were subcategorized in psychometric instruments, qualitative methods and indirect instruments.

RESULTS: The psychometric scales encompassed five independent scales for perspective-taking and three subscales of multidimensional empathy scales. Predominantly self-reporting scales were found, only one scale used patient-reported assessment. The qualitative studies used semi-structured interviews, written responses and the 'think-aloud' procedure. Indirect instruments concern tools initially developed for different purposes used for measuring perspective-taking.

CONCLUSIONS: This scoping review provides insight into the measurement approaches of perspective-taking in different domains. However, there is a lack of independent psychometric instruments and systematic qualitative tools for perspective-taking. Future research should develop and validate novel measurement instruments for perspective-taking in healthcare education.