title: Validation of a French hospitalized patients' satisfaction questionnaire: the QSH-45.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To develop a generic French self-administered instrument for measuring hospitalized patients' satisfaction based on the patient's point of view: the questionnaire for satisfaction of hospitalized (QSH) patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  The development was supervised by a steering committee and undertaken through three standard steps. Item generation was derived from 95 face-to-face interviews, performed in hospitalized patients and in patients scheduled to be admitted. The item reduction led to a 69-item questionnaire. The validation process was based on validity, reliability and some aspects of external validity.
  
  
  METHODS
  Medical, surgical and obstetrical departments (n = 187) of public hospitals (n = 11) from different French regions (n = 3).
  
  
  METHODS
  Eligible patients were adult subjects hospitalized for at least 24 h.
  
  
  METHODS
  QSH, sociodemographic data, hospitalization department, visual analogue scales of satisfaction.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The final version of QSH contained 45 items describing 9 dimensions, leading to 2 composite scores (staff and structure index). The factor structure accounted for 71% of the total variance. Internal consistency was satisfactory (item-internal consistency over 0.40; Cronbach's alpha coefficients ranged from 0.76 to 0.96). The scalability was satisfactory with inlier-sensitive fit (INFIT) statistics inside an acceptable range. Scores of dimensions were strongly positively correlated with visual analogue scale scores (all P < 0.001). External validity showed statistical associations between QSH scores and age or department. Participation rate was 91%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The availability of a reliable and valid French questionnaire concerning hospitalized patients' satisfaction, exclusively generated from patients' interviews, enables patient feedback to be incorporated in a continuous quality health-care improvement strategy.
authors: Department of Public Health, University Hospital, Assistance Publique Hôpitaux de Marseille, France.
authors: Stéphanie
authors: S
authors: Antoniotti
authors: Karine
authors: K
authors: Baumstarck-Barrau
authors: Marie-Claude
authors: MC
authors: Siméoni
authors: Christophe
authors: C
authors: Sapin
authors: José
authors: J
authors: Labarère
authors: Laurent
authors: L
authors: Gerbaud
authors: Laurent
authors: L
authors: Boyer
authors: Cyril
authors: C
authors: Colin
authors: Patrice
authors: P
authors: François
authors: Pascal
authors: P
authors: Auquier
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D005602:France; D006748:Hospital Departments; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011594:Psychometrics; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires