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Objective
The measurement of patient satisfaction is considered an essential outcome indicator to evaluate health care quality. Patient satisfaction is considered a multi-dimensional construct, which would include a variety of domains. Although a large number of studies have proposed scales to measure patient satisfaction, there is a lack of psychometric information on them. This study aims to describe the psychometric properties of the Primary Care Satisfaction Scale (PCSS) of the EUprimecare project.
Design
A cross-sectional survey of patient satisfaction with primary care was carried out by telephone interview.
Setting
Primary care services of Estonia, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Lithuania, Italy and Spain.
Participants
A total of 3020 adult patients aged 18–65 years old attending primary care services.
Method
Classic psychometric properties were analysed and Rasch analysis was used to assess the following measurement properties: fit to the Rasch model; uni-dimensionality; reliability; differential item functioning (DIF) by gender, age, civil status, area of residency and country; local independency; adequacy of response scale; and scale targeting.
Results
To achieve good fit to the Rasch model, the original response scales of three items (1, 2 and 6) were rescored and Item 3 (waiting time in the room) was removed. The scale was uni-dimensional and Person Separation Index was 0.79, indicating a good reliability. All items were free from bias. PCSS linear measure displayed satisfactory convergent validity with overall satisfaction with primary care.
Conclusions
PCSS, as a reliable and valid scale, could be used to measure patient satisfaction in primary care in Europe.
Keywords: patient satisfaction; primary care; Rasch analysis; scale validation
Journal Article. 4601 words. Illustrated.
Subjects: Public Health and Epidemiology
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