Surgical patient satisfaction in Hong Kong: Validation of a new instrument

Objective: To validate the locally developed surgical inpatient satisfaction instrument (SIPS) across a diverse population of perioperative patients and to identify independent contributors to patient satisfaction. Methods: Patients over 18 years of age who had undergone surgery either as a day or inpatient in three public hospitals within the eastern area of the New Territories in Hong Kong were recruited prior to discharge. Seven hundred and sixty-five patients completed our 40-item seven-factor surgical patient satisfaction instrument along with an existing European measure of inpatient satisfaction in cancer patients (EORTC In-Pats 32). Analysis included factorial validity by exploratory factor analyses, unidimensionality, item fit, differential item functioning and concurrent validity. Univariate and linear logistic regression analysis of overall satisfaction was carried out. Results: Psychometric testing demonstrated the instrument to be robust and generalizable and did not support removal of any of the items. The independent predictor of overall surgical inpatient satisfaction was the quality of nursing care and age over 50 years. Satisfaction was not confounded by gender, length of hospital stay or educational level. Conclusions: SIPS was shown to be valid across a range of surgical procedures.