Measuring perceptions of XXXX : a preliminary study.

@entity1 @entity6
PURPOSE: This pilot study explored health professionals' and @entity1 ' perceptions of @entity6 through the development of the @entity6 Semantic Differential Scales (DSDS). These scales evaluate the meaning of @entity6 . METHODS: Health professionals (n = 39) attending a CME course completed the health professional version of the DSDS. @entity1 (n = 70) completed the @entity1 version of the DSDS. RESULTS: The reliability of the DSDS was supported. The scale scores of health professionals, African American @entity1 , and Caucasian @entity1 , examined initially by one-way analyses of variance, showed significant differences among the groups for 4 of the 18 @entity6 concepts. Effect sizes were also examined among these groups. For 7 concepts, there was a significant practical difference between the perceptions of the health professionals and the African American @entity1 . For the Caucasian @entity1 , differences were noted for 6 concepts. CONCLUSIONS: There are 3 primary inferences from this pilot study. First, health professionals and @entity1 are likely to hold different perceptions of key @entity6 concepts. Second, the concepts on which professionals and @entity1 differ are not always what one would expect. Third, health professionals should clarify @entity1 ' understanding of @entity6 to minimize the potential for miscommunication.
