A patient satisfaction survey for haemophilia treatment centres

The importance of patient satisfaction has continued to grow such that patient satisfaction is now viewed as a vital component of health-care delivery. This is evidenced by the expanding body of research in the area and the use of measures of patient satisfaction as indicators of health-care quality. The value of patient satisfaction is particularly apparent in the setting of chronic disease where medical care utilization is high, compliance with therapy is critical and the patient-provider relationship is often long-term. Although several validated tools exist to quantify general measures of patient satisfaction, there is a recognized need for disease-specific instruments. Not only are there issues that are unique to haemophilia, but many patients receive care via a specialized comprehensive clinic model. The authors were unaware of an instrument that could adequately address patient satisfaction issues specific to haemophilia; thus, they undertook to develop one. The patient satisfaction survey presented here contains fixed-choice, Likert-scale and open-ended questions adapted from previously validated questionnaires. Assessment of face validity and internal consistency indicate that the survey is measuring one underlying construct - patient satisfaction. Information acquired through this survey will provide a quantitative assessment of patient satisfaction within a clinic population of persons with bleeding disorders and could be used to guide decisions regarding provision of health-care services.