[Development and validation of a generic questionnaire for evaluating satisfaction in patients with chronic disease: the SAT-Q Questionnaire]

OBJECTIVES

To develop and validate a brief general questionnaire to assess satisfaction in patients with chronic disease.

DESIGN

epidemiological, observational, multicentre cross-sectional study.

LOCATION

4 Primary Health Care Centers from the IV Health Area in the Principality of Asturias.

SUBJECTS

A total of 202 patients diagnosed with chronic illness who were following a pharmacological regimen for at least one year.

METHODS

An extensive literature review was conducted to create an initial item pool of 61 questions regarding patient satisfaction. Then, a forward-backward translation into Spanish was carried out. Next, both the expert (n=8) and patient (n=30) panels led to a new version of 34 items (concerning satisfaction with medication and satisfaction with health service). Finally, scale item reduction (item-total correlation and exploratory factorial analysis -EFA-) and psychometrical validation (feasibility, reliability and criterion validity) of the SAT-Q- were evaluated. Both the SAT-Q and the SF-12 (to assess patient health related quality of life) were applied.

RESULTS

Item reduction analysis resulted in 18 items: general satisfaction with medication (3), adverse-events (3), oversights (2), effectiveness (3), convenience (4) and Health services (3). Internal consistency (Cronbach α) and Intraclass Correlation Coefficients were moderate-high. Moreover, significant positive correlations between SAT-Q scores and SF-12 Physical and Mental Summary Components were found (with the exception of oversights).

CONCLUSIONS

A brief questionnaire for measuring satisfaction in chronic patients has been developed and preliminary validated.