title: Development of a questionnaire to assess patient satisfaction with allergen-specific immunotherapy in adults: item generation, item reduction, and preliminary validation.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Allergen-specific immunotherapy (SIT) is a treatment capable of modifying the natural course of allergy, so ensuring good adherence to SIT is fundamental. Up until now there has not existed an instrument specifically developed to measure patient satisfaction with SIT, although its assessment could help us to comprehend better and improve treatment adherence and effectiveness. The aim of this study was to develop an instrument to measure adult patient satisfaction with SIT.
  
  
  METHODS
  Items were generated from a literature review, focus groups with allergic adult patients undergoing SIT, and a meeting with experts. Potential items were administered to allergic patients undergoing SIT in an observational, cross-sectional, multicenter study. Item reduction was based on quantitative and qualitative criteria. A preliminary assessment of feasibility, reliability, and validity of the retained items was performed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  An initial pool of 70 items was administered to 257 patients undergoing SIT. Fifty-four items were eliminated resulting in a provisional instrument with 16 items. Factor analysis yielded four factors that were identified as perceived efficacy, activities and environment, cost-benefit balance, and overall satisfaction, explaining 74.8% of variance. Ceiling and floor effects were negligible for overall score. Overall score was associated with the type and intensity of symptoms.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This is the first attempt to develop a satisfaction with SIT measure from the perspective of the allergic patient, and evidence has been found in favor of its reliability and validity.
authors.affiliation: Medical Department, Stallergenes Ibérica, Barcelona, Spain;
authors.forename: Jose Luis
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Justícia
authors.forename: Eva
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Baró
authors.forename: Victoria
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Cardona
authors.forename: Pedro
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Guardia
authors.forename: Pedro
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ojeda
authors.forename: José Maria
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Olaguíbel
authors.forename: José Maria
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Vega
authors.forename: Carmen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Vidal