[Design and validation of a home care satisfaction questionnaire: SATISFAD]

To design and validate an instrument to assess satisfaction with home care services, in both self-administered and telephone versions.

We performed a cross-sectional observational study of the population using home care services in the health districts of Malaga, Costa del Sol, Almeria and Granada (Spain). A questionnaire was designed by an expert panel using a Deplhi technique. Reliability between the self-administered and telephone versions was analyzed. Finally, internal consistency and construct validity were assessed.

Reliability between the self-administered and telephone versions was high (intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.876; 95% CI, 0.726-0.941; p = 0.0001). Internal consistency was adequate (Cronbach's alpha: 0.853 and 0.799 for both versions, with or without caregiver, respectively). The factorial analysis explained 66.80% and 67.81% of the observed variance for the two versions (with or without caregiver, respectively). Two factors were isolated and related to interpersonal relationships, the role of the carer, and decision making.

Assessment of satisfaction with home care can be performed with the dimensions routinely used in satisfaction studies, but these should be evaluated with instruments designed ad hoc. Accessibility, communication and interpersonal relationships have a high explanatory value in satisfaction among this population.