Development of the malay version of the patient satisfaction questionnaire for virtual consultation services...

Malaysia's rapid adoption of virtual primary care has raised the need to assess patient satisfaction across multiple dimensions. Current assessment tools do not comprehensively integrate digital usability, service logistics and screen-mediated clinician-patient consultations, particularly in the context of Malaysian culture. This research aims to develop and validate items for a Malay-language questionnaire that assesses patient satisfaction with virtual consultation services in primary healthcare.

Items were initially created based on a framework derived from a systematic literature review and refined through input from three expert panels. To assess the validity of the MPSQ-VC, nine experts in the relevant field and ten experienced patients participated. The content validity index (CVI), content validity ratio (CVR), and face validity index (FVI) were evaluated using Microsoft Excel.

The prototype consisted of 52 items that were aligned with the adapted and modified SERVQUAL-TAM's five domains. Iterative edits and expert feedback resulted in a 39-item instrument, comprising Perceived Usefulness (7 items), Reliability (7 items), Responsiveness (8 items), Assurance (9 items), and Empathy (8 items). Content appraisal by the nine-member expert panel retained 30 items, eliminating 13 with relevance I-CVI < 0.78 and refining nine borderline statements. The scale achieved excellent S-CVI/Ave (0.93) and S-CVR (0.85). Face validity testing of the 39-item MPSQ-VC v2.0 was conducted with 10 adult respondents, who were diverse in terms of age, ethnicity, and education. Item- and Scale-level Face Validity Indices were analysed across domains, and nine sub-threshold and six borderline items were identified. Based on respondent feedback, we revised nine items and removed nine with low I-FVI or comprehension concerns, achieving an S-FVI/Ave greater than 0.80 in all domains, thereby finalizing a 30-item MPSQ-VC v3.0.

The scale bridges gaps in the original SERVQUAL's model by replacing 'Tangibility' with 'Perceived-Usefulness' and integrating relevant items into other domains, offering culturally grounded insight for Malaysian virtual care. This questionnaire provides practitioners and policymakers with a reliable yardstick for benchmarking patient satisfaction, guiding targeted improvements and strengthening evidence-based policy. However, psychometric and reliability testing with larger patient samples is necessary to confirm construct validity and response over time.