Exploratory factor analysis (EFA)
Research Methods
Definition. Exploratory factor analysis identifies the underlying factor structure of a set of observed variables without specifying the structure in advance.
Explanation
EFA is typically used early in scale development, as in a scale on patient participation in safety practices (Dursun Engin, 2025), and in adapting instruments to new contexts, such as an implementation assessment tool in Swedish elderly care (Kaltenbrunner et al., 2024).
Related concepts
Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) Construct validity Reliability Cronbach’s alpha
Read on The Health Topics
- Validating the Patient Participation in Patient Safety Scale
- Swe-IPAT: Assessing Implementation in Swedish Elderly Care
References
Dursun Engin, M., & Seren İntepeler, Ş. (2025). Patient participation in patient safety practices scale: Development and psychometric evaluation of a scale. Healthcare, 13 (1387). https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare13121387
Kaltenbrunner, M., Hagerman, H., Fagerström, C., Hartveit, M., Nordheim, E., & Ekstedt, M. (2024). The Implementation Process Assessment Tool: translation, contextualization, and psychometric evaluation of a Swedish version in a municipal elderly care context. BMC Health Services Research, 24 (1), 1391. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-024-11889-x
Cite this entry: Kurutkan, M. N. (2026). Exploratory factor analysis (EFA). In The Health Topics glossary. https://healthtopic.org/glossary/exploratory-factor-analysis/