Measuring patient satisfaction in oncology units: interview-based psychometric validation of the ‘Comprehensive Assessment of Satisfaction with Care’ in Greece

KRITSOTAKIS G., KOUTIS A.D., KOTSORI A., ALEXOPOULOS C.G. & PHILALITHIS A.E. (2009) European Journal of Cancer Care19, 45–52
Measuring patient satisfaction in oncology units: interview-based psychometric validation of the ‘Comprehensive Assessment of Satisfaction with Care’ in Greece

The aim of this study is to validate the ‘Comprehensive Assessment of Satisfaction with Care’ (CASC) in Greece. A total of 84 cancer inpatients met the inclusion criteria. Of them, 32 (38%) refused to participate, leading to a 62% response rate. For the translation of the scale, we followed the European Social Survey procedures encompassing four stages. Interview-based administration was chosen in order to obtain more reliable results in terms of time of assessment, response rate and data omission. Multitrait scaling analyses along with construct, scale-discriminant validity and reliability tests were carried out to establish the Greek version of CASC. Scales on doctors' technical skills, care organization and general satisfaction were in support of the European structure. In general, Doctors' scales had the anticipated structures. Most variations were noticed in the Nurses' scales, leading to a revised item–scale formation, and may reflect different importance patients attribute to various aspects of health care in different countries. Greek version of CASC may be a practical, valid and reliable tool for assessing patient satisfaction in oncology settings. Cross-cultural validation of the existing tools is necessary to enable comparison between various countries and settings. Interview-based administration should be considered when validating patient satisfaction instruments.