Assessment of psychiatric inpatient satisfaction: A systematic review of self-reported instruments.

authors

  • Boyer L.
  • Baumstarck-Barrau K.
  • Cano N.
  • Zendjidjian X.
  • Belzeaux R.
  • Limousin S.
  • Magalon D.
  • Samuelian J.-C.
  • Lancon C.
  • Auquier Pascal

document type

ART

abstract

BACKGROUND: There is a growing concern about satisfaction with inpatient psychiatric services. There are currently numerous satisfaction instruments available to psychiatric inpatients, but little guidance on which among them to select. AIMS: To provide an overview of the psychometric properties and the content of satisfaction instruments available to psychiatric inpatients. METHODS: Systematic searches of Medline database to identify inpatient satisfaction questionnaires. Assessment of the instruments according to relevant psychometric properties. RESULTS: Fifteen satisfaction instruments were identified. The target population differed according to the instrument. Methods used to generate items were heterogeneous. These instruments were based on a mixed approach including patients' points of view, expert opinions, and literature reviews, causing the content of questionnaires to vary. Reliability and validity were not systematically tested. CONCLUSION: The validation of a common inpatient satisfaction instrument is a major challenge. Recommendations for the future development of satisfaction instruments may include: item generation based exclusively on the patient's point of view; a validation process on a large and representative population; and an instrument combining generic (core questionnaire) and specific (additional modules) approaches.

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