Is patient satisfaction a unidimensional construct? Factor analysis of the Munich Patient Satisfaction Scale (MPSS-24).
Although patients' satisfaction with treatment has gained much attention, conceptual and methodological issues are not sufficiently investigated. Consequently, well-validated satisfaction scales are rare. In order to respond to methodological requirements being associated with the measurement of patient satisfaction, the Munich Patient Satisfaction Scale (MPSS-24) was developed for psychiatric in-patients. The scale was validated on the basis of three independent samples (n=85, n= 161, n=91), and the effects of moderating variables were controlled. In several steps of item selection the initial pool of 133 items was reduced to 24 items, which were subjected to factor analysis. The MPSS-24 demonstrates one major principal component with two minor factors which indicates that doctor-patient communication is the essential source for patient satisfaction. The instrument is of high internal consistency and reliability, and convergent validity is satisfactory.
Möller-Leimkühler
Anne Marie
AM
Psychiatric Department of the University of Munich, Germany. amoeller@psy.med.uni.muenchen.de
Dunkel
Ralf
R
Müller
Peter
P
Pukies
Guido
G
de Fazio
Sarino
S
Lehmann
Erlo
E
D000328:Adult; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007297:Inpatients / Q000523:psychology*; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000628:therapy*; D008875:Middle Aged; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012494:Sampling Studies; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires / Q000592:standards*