This study aims to develop a robust, targeted measure of patient experiences of person-centred care (PCC), informed by the lived experiences of patients with chronic illness using the psychometric theory of Rasch measurement.

The Rasch measurement model was used to analyse the psychometric functioning of 57 candidate items and select appropriate items for a targeted measure.

Participants were recruited from Prolific.com, having experience of both chronic or long-term illness and first-hand experience of primary or secondary care in the UK healthcare setting and completed a survey containing PCC items and descriptors of healthcare experience.

Data from 501 adult persons (49.5% men and 49.7% women) with different types of long-term conditions recruited from the prolific web panel.

For an initial analysis of all 57 candidate items, there were several indicators of misfit, such as signs of local dependence and multidimensionality. The response options worked as intended according to threshold ordering. After removal of misfitting items and refinement for the best spread of locations, a 14-item solution showed good fit to the Rasch model in this UK sample.

The results support a unidimensional measurement of patients’ experiences of PCC, once the local dependency was accommodated. The present work thus offers a 14-item measure of PCC experience. The present work also contains a robust item bank for the further development of dynamic computerised adaptive testing.