Patient Satisfaction With Outpatient Physical Therapy: Instrument Validation

Abstract

Background and Purpose. Patient satisfaction with physical therapy is used as an outcome variable. The purpose of this study was to develop and test an instrument used to determine which variables are associated with the satisfaction of patients receiving outpatient physical therapy. Subjects. During the pilot study, 191 patients participated, and 1,868 patients then participated in the main phase of this work. Methods. Using a survey instrument developed by the authors, subjects responded to global questions concerning overall satisfaction with physical therapy. Content validation of the instrument was investigated using item correlation, principal components analysis, and factor analysis. Reliability was measured using the standard error of measurement. Concurrent validity was investigated by correlating summary scores of the final survey instrument with global measures of satisfaction. Results. Reliability was best for a 10-item questionnaire. Patient satisfaction was most associated with items that reflected a high-quality interaction with the therapist (eg, time, adequate explanations and instructions to patients). Environmental factors such as clinic location, parking, time spent waiting for the therapist, and type of equipment used were not strongly correlated with overall satisfaction with care. Discussion and Conclusion. Because the time the therapist spent with patients and the behavior of the therapists are important for patient satisfaction, emphasis on cost-cutting, high patient volume, and the use of “care extenders” may jeopardize satisfaction.

Using a social capital framework to enhance measurement of the nursing work environment

“…Further validation was accomplished by administering a preliminary version to 37 hospital-based registered nurses. The nurses rated each question based upon relevance, logical sequence, consistency, content, and appropriate wording (Beattie et al 2002). The final version contained 44 social capital questions.…”

Measuring patient satisfaction with exercise therapy for knee osteoarthritis: evaluating the utility of the physiotherapy outpatient survey

“…Of note in this sample was the difference in satisfaction with outcome compared with the other satisfaction dimensions, which are more related to the process of care. A number of other patient satisfaction surveys for use in physiotherapy exist (Beattie et al, 2002;Monnin and Perneger, 2002;Roush and Sonstroem, 1999) but few include the aspect of satisfaction with outcome, with a greater emphasis placed on satisfaction with care in a physiotherapy context. In this questionnaire, a number of statements focused on outcome, such as 'I have made a full recovery as a result of treatment' , I am now completely painfree as a result of treatment' and 'I have gained full mobility as a result of treatment' .…”

“…A number of patient satisfaction questionnaires are available but most of these were developed for use in the United States, where physiotherapy service delivery is different from that in the UK and Ireland (Beattie et al, 2002;Goldstein et al, 2000;Monnin and Perneger, 2002;Roush and Sonstroem, 1999), so these instruments may not be as relevant for assessing satisfaction with physiotherapy in an Irish setting. These questionnaires also focus on satisfaction with care, rather than outcome.…”

Identification of Essential Skills for Entry-Level Athletic Trainers Using the Delphi Method

“…Shemwell, Yavas, and Bilgin (1998) discovered through patient surveys that, "Doctors should focus on improving the 'how it is done' aspect of service rather than the 'what is done' aspects of service" (p. 163) to increase patient satisfaction. The fields of nursing (Johansson, Oleni, & Fridlund, 2002), dentistry (Corah, O'Shea, Pace, & Seyrek, 1988), and physical therapy (Beattie, Pinto, Nelson, & Nelson, 2002) all dealt with similar problems with consumer satisfaction. What sets athletic training apart is that these other health professions acknowledged these shortcomings years ago, developed instruments to measure patient satisfaction with service, identified and categorized these critiques, and now address them as part of the students' curriculum.…”