Assessing engagement while viewing video vignettes; validation of the Video Engagement Scale (VES)

•A scale to assess analogue patients’ engagement with video vignettes did not exist.•We developed the Video Engagement Scale (VES) to assess viewers’ engagement.•The 15-item VES reliably and validly measures analogue patients’ engagement.•The VES can be employed to assess ecological validity of a video-vignettes design.•Future research should further test the four-dimensional structure of the VES.

ObjectivesIn health communication research using video vignettes, it is important to assess viewers’ engagement. Engagement scores can indicate ecological validity of the design, and help distinguish between different engagement types. Therefore, we aimed to develop and validate a scale assessing viewers’ engagement with video vignettes.MethodsBased on an existing question set, the 15-item, five-dimensional Video Engagement Scale (VES) was developed. The VES was validated in two video-vignettes studies to investigate patient-physician communication. In addition to engagement, we assessed its presumed correlates, e.g., perceived realism of the video and identification with the patient.ResultsInternal consistency and test–retest reliability were adequate in both studies (N = 181 and N = 228). Positive correlations between the VES and perceived realism of the video, credibility of and identification with the patient suggested good content validity. Confirmatory factor analysis suggested a four-dimensional model fit, largely resembling our hypothesized model.ConclusionsThe VES reliably and validly measures viewers’ engagement in health communication research using video vignettes. It can be employed to assess ecological validity of this design. Further testing of the scale is needed to more solidly establish its dimensionality.Practice ImplicationsWe recommend that researchers use the VES, to ensure ecological validity of future video-vignettes studies.