MEMOIR: A MEta-analysis of the reliability and other Measurement prOpertIes of the Research Capacity and Culture Tool

Abstract The Research Capacity and Culture tool was developed in 2012 (Holden et al., 2012) to assess the individual, team, and organisational domains of research capacity in health services. The RCCTool contains up to 55 items which are typically rated on a scale of 1 lowest skill or success level to 10 highest possible skill or success level. Since 2012 it has been reported in over 20 papers yet little is known about its measurement properties and how well they generalise across the settings in which it has been used. This protocol describes an update to a systematic review presented in 2019 (Chapman, et al., 2019). Measurement properties for the purposes of this review includes factor structure and dimensionality (exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses), internal consistency (e.g. Cronbach’s alpha), test-retest reliability perhaps leading to estimation of standard error of difference for calculation of minimally significant change, validity indices, normative values, and item analysis. For some properties it is desirable to test that they are invariant or homogeneous across studies and samples (factor structure, reliability, validity) in others such as average/median scores testing for differences attributable to contextual factors (e.g. samples from teaching hospitals are expected to show higher scores on the organisational domain. The review also provides an opportunity to collate how the tool is used – for what purposes, with which modifications, how are responses analysed, and how are results reported. This review will make recommendations to improve the conceptualization, specification, and measurement of research capacity in health services. The earlier version presented in 2019 is attached as Appendix B