Competencies for the humanization of healthcare: evidence of content validity in the Chilean context.

Authors

DOI: https://doi.org/10.6018/edumed.731551
Keywords: Humanization of assistance, Profesional competence, content validity, continuing education, Education in health sciences

Abstract

Introduction: Dehumanization in health care is a growing problem associated with technification, fragmented care and health system pressures, affecting both patients and professionals. Health professions education requires competency frameworks that allow humanization to be integrated into the curriculum. Objective: To obtain content-based validity evidence for a competency model for humanization in the Chilean context, as an initial stage for its operationalization. Method: Methodological study using a three-round Delphi technique with an interdisciplinary panel of 14 experts selected through purposive sampling. The model under evaluation comprised seven dimensions: scientific-technical, relational, emotional, ethical, spiritual, cultural and management. Relevance and clarity were rated on a 1–5 Likert scale, with consensus defined as a median ≥ 4.0 and an interquartile range (IQR) ≤ 1. Open-ended comments were analyzed thematically. Results: In the first round, the definitions of the seven competencies reached consensus and the panel proposed 57 sub-competencies. In the second round, 106 sub-competencies were evaluated: 54 were accepted, 45 were kept under review and 7 were eliminated. Qualitative input was grouped into redundancy, semantic ambiguity, conceptual overlap, conceptual delimitation, need for operationalization and cultural relevance, and guided the refinement of the item pool. In the third round, 63 sub-competencies reached consensus: scientific-technical (10), relational (7), emotional (7), ethical (10), spiritual (10), cultural (9) and management (10). Conclusions: The findings provide initial content-based validity evidence for a competency framework for humanization contextualized to Chile. The framework is not yet a psychometrically validated instrument, but it offers a basis for guiding curriculum integration, the formulation of learning outcomes and future studies of operationalization and psychometric evaluation.

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Published
20-10-2026
How to Cite
Aránguiz Bravo, C., Alliende Otero, A., & Souza Ramos, F. R. (2026). Competencies for the humanization of healthcare: evidence of content validity in the Chilean context. Spanish Journal of Medical Education, 7(6). https://doi.org/10.6018/edumed.731551
Issue
Vol. 7 No. 6 (2026): Spanish Journal of Medical Education
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Artículos

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