Adapting and validating the Satisfaction with Assistive Technology Services (SATS) scale for the Korean context

Area of Science:

• Rehabilitation Engineering
• Health Services Research
• Psychometrics

Background:

• Evaluating assistive technology (AT) services is crucial for user satisfaction.
• Existing instruments may not capture cultural nuances in South Korea.
• A culturally adapted tool is needed for accurate AT service evaluation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To culturally adapt and validate the Satisfaction with Assistive Technology Service (SATS) instrument for South Korea.
• To ensure the SATS-K accurately reflects the experiences of Korean AT users.
• To provide a reliable measure for assessing AT service satisfaction in the South Korean context.

Main Methods:

• Cultural adaptation followed "Principles of Good Practice" guidelines.
• Translation involved forward/backward translation and cognitive debriefing.
• Reliability (Cronbach's alpha, ICC) and validity (concurrent, with QUEST-K) were assessed.

Main Results:

• The SATS-K demonstrated high reliability (Cronbach's alpha = 0.94, ICC = 0.92).
• Strong concurrent validity was confirmed (Pearson's r = 0.934).
• Notable differences in "instruction & training" satisfaction were observed compared to European versions.

Conclusions:

• The SATS-K is a reliable and valid instrument for measuring AT service satisfaction in South Korea.
• The tool offers valuable insights for improving AT service delivery.
• Retaining the "waiting time" item is important for comprehensive service evaluation.