Validation of the communication skills scale among oncology physicians and nurses in Mexico

Introduction Effective communication among physicians and nurses is associated with improved satisfaction and quality of care in oncology patients. Assessing these skills requires valid and reliable instruments capable of identifying areas for improvement.Objective To examine the factorial structure and psychometric properties of the Health Professionals Communication Skills Scale (EHC-PS) in a sample of Mexican oncology healthcare professionals.Method A cross-sectional comparative study was conducted with 320 healthcare professionals (117 nurses and 203 physicians) from two cancer care institutions using non-probabilistic convenience sampling. Participants completed a demographic questionnaire and the EHC-PS. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was performed on a subsample of 240 participants, while the full sample was used for comparative analyses. Robust estimation methods were applied to account for the ordinal nature of the data.Results The original four-factor model showed inadequate fit. A three-factor model demonstrated improved fit and parsimony (CFIrob = .927; TLIrob = .900; SRMR = .048), although RMSEA remained slightly above conventional thresholds (RMSEArob = .090). The final structure included empathy, informative communication, and respect, reflecting a data-driven reorganization in which items from the social skills factor were reassigned. No significant differences were found between physicians and nurses (p > .05), with small effect sizes.Discussion Findings provide preliminary evidence supporting a shortened three-factor version of the EHC-PS. Although psychometric properties were acceptable, results should be interpreted cautiously due to model modifications and lack of cross-validation. Further research is needed to confirm stability and generalizability.