title: Measuring patient satisfaction in orthopaedic surgery.
abstract: In addition to their wish to understand the clinical results of orthopaedic interventions, clinicians, patients, and payers are increasingly interested in patient satisfaction, both with the process of care and with outcomes. The construct of satisfaction is complex and depends on the context in which care takes place, including the nature of treatment, its setting, and most importantly the expectation of patients prior to treatment. The characteristics of scales that are effective measures of satisfaction are the same as those of all effective measurement instruments--i.e., reliability, validity, and responsiveness. Measurement of patient satisfaction may be especially important in evaluations of established procedures and processes so that the value of those procedures and processes to patients can be more completely understood.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, University Health Network/University of Toronto, 399 Bathurst Street, Toronto, ON M5T 2S8, Canada. E-mail address: Brent.Graham@uhn.ca.
authors.forename: Brent
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Graham
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Rhode Island Hospital, 2 Dudley Street, Suite 200, Providence, RI 02905.
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Green
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Shriners Hospital for Children Northern California, 2425 Stockton Boulevard, Sacramento, CA 95817.
authors.forename: Michelle
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: James
authors.affiliation: Division of Rheumatology, Immunology and Allergy, Brigham and Women's Hospital, 75 Francis Street, Boston, MA 02115.
authors.forename: Jeffrey
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Katz
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Minnesota, 2450 Riverside Avenue, Minneapolis, MN 55454.
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Swiontkowski
mesh_terms: D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006801:Humans; D019637:Orthopedic Procedures / Q000592:standards*; D063868:Patient Outcome Assessment; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D057566:Self Report