A simple tool to measure patient perceptions of operative birth.
OBJECTIVE
To assess the feasibility and validity of a maternal satisfaction measurement tool, the SaFE study Patient Perception Score (PPS), after operative delivery.


METHODS
Cross-sectional survey.


METHODS
A large maternity unit in England.


METHODS
150 women who had had an operative birth.


METHODS
We recruited women within 24 hours of birth and quantified their satisfaction with two questionnaires: PPS, and the Mackey Childbirth Satisfaction Rating Scale (CSRS; modified).


METHODS
Participation rate to determine feasibility; Cronbach's alpha as measure of internal consistency; PPS satisfaction scores for groups of accoucheurs of different seniority to assess construct validity; correlation coefficient of PPS scores with total scores from the CSRS questionnaire to establish criterion validity.


RESULTS
Participation rate approached 85%. We observed high scores for most births except a few outliers. Internal consistency of the PPS was high (Cronbach's alpha=0.83). Total PPS scores correlated strongly with total CSRS scores (Spearman's r=0.64, P<0.001).


CONCLUSIONS
The PPS is a simple and valid tool for patient-centred assessments. High scores were observed for most births but there were a small minority of accoucheurs who consistently scored poorly and these data could be used during appraisal and training.
Women's Health, Chilterns, Southmead Hospital, Westbury on Trym, BS10 5NB, Bristol, UK. jsiasakos@gmail.com
D
D
Siassakos
J
J
Clark
T
T
Sibanda
G
G
Attilakos
A
A
Jefferys
L
L
Cullen
D
D
Bisson
T
T
Draycott
D000328:Adult; D002585:Cesarean Section / Q000592:standards*; D002983:Clinical Competence; D003142:Communication; D004739:England; D004812:Epidemiologic Methods; D005113:Extraction, Obstetrical / Q000592:standards*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011369:Professional-Patient Relations; D011594:Psychometrics