The Performance Diagnostic <scp>Checklist–Human</scp> Services (1.1): An initial assessment of validity and reliability
The PDC-HS 1.1 checklist is reliable, so use it to find the exact reason staff are not performing.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Jimenez et al. (2023) tested a new checklist called PDC-HS 1.1. The checklist helps you find why staff in group homes are not doing their tasks.
They ran math tests to see if the checklist gives the same answers each time and if it really measures staff problems.
What they found
The checklist passed the math tests. You can trust its scores when you want to know why staff are not performing.
This means you now have a quick, paper-and-pencil tool instead of guessing.
How this fits with other research
Quilitch (1975) already showed that memos and workshops do nothing. You need to pinpoint the real reason staff slip. The new checklist gives you that pinpoint.
Cowan et al. (2023) built a decision tool for prompting. Both papers give front-line staff a simple flowchart: one for picking prompts, one for fixing staff errors.
Austin et al. (2015) also checked if a tool works in ID settings. Their risk scale predicted aggression; the new checklist predicts why staff fail. Both tools passed their math tests, so you can trust them in real homes.
Why it matters
Stop guessing why staff skip steps. Give the PDC-HS 1.1 to your supervisor today. Circle the items, pick one reason, and fix that first. You will save time and see quick gains in client care.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
The Performance Diagnostic Checklist-Human Services (PDC-HS) is an assessment used to identify variables contributing to staff performance concerns in human-service settings. In the current study, we introduce and assess the test validity, interrater reliability, and test-retest reliability of the PDC-HS (1.1), a revised version of the assessment that included revised instructions, questions, and intervention planning references. We measured the psychometric properties of the revised assessment by analyzing answers obtained from watching video vignettes of simulated interviews between consultants and a supervisor. Twenty-one participants watched the vignettes and completed the PDC-HS (1.1) based on the answers provided during the interview. We also included an item analysis to identify questions on which participants made errors and an intervention selection task to assess whether participants selected an appropriate intervention to target the indicated domain. The results support the use of the PDC-HS (1.1) in human services settings.
Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 2023 · doi:10.1002/jaba.1017