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


OBJECTIVE
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.


CONCLUSIONS
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.
Boyer
L
L
Department of Public Health, La Timone Hospital, Assistance publique des Hôpitaux de Marseille, 264 rue Saint-Pierre, Marseille cedex 5, Marseille, France. laurent.boyer@ap-hm.fr
Baumstarck-Barrau
K
K
Cano
N
N
Zendjidjian
X
X
Belzeaux
R
R
Limousin
S
S
Magalon
D
D
Samuelian
J-C
JC
Lancon
C
C
Auquier
P
P
D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007297:Inpatients / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D028642:Persons with Psychiatric Disorders / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D017060:Patient Satisfaction / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000379:methods; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires