Promoting person-centred care in the home support of older people through situational judgement tests: a feasibility study

Homecare providers face acute staff shortages, yet identifying new candidates with values aligned to person-centred care is challenging. This study aimed to develop and provisionally evaluate situational judgement tests to support recruitment. A total of 11 in-depth interviews with homecare workers yielded 59 ‘critical incidents’ in which person-centred values were tested. Draft scenarios were developed alongside behavioural response options, and a scoring key was devised by 15 people with lived experiences. After piloting, the final situational judgement tests comprised 11 scenarios with 63 response options. Homecare providers reported high acceptability and feasibility, feeling that the situational judgement tests could support recruitment. Future research will test their psychometric properties.