[PS-RESKVA (Patient Satisfaction, Results and Quality)--patient satisfaction in hospitals]

The reliability and acceptability of a 39-question patient-satisfaction questionnaire (PS-RESKVA) for use in hospitals is assessed. Postal questionnaires were sent to 19,395 patients, aged between 15 and 100 years, who were discharged from the medical, surgical, gynaecological, and neurological wards of two Norwegian hospitals; they were followed up with one reminder. The response rate was 59% for all patients, and 71% among those who were considered medically capable of answering. Six underlying factors were identified in the PS-RESKVA profile, which contained 11 different aspects satisfaction. The PS-RESKVA satisfied the psychometric criteria for internal consistency. Results indicate that the PS-RESKVA is a possible measure of patient satisfaction after discharge from hospital. It seems acceptable to patients in general, and is a reliable measure of satisfaction for a wide range of patients. Further studies on its validity are warranted.