A patient satisfaction survey for haemophilia treatment centres

Summary.  The importance of patient satisfaction has continued to grow such that patient satisfaction is now viewed as a vital component of health‐care delivery. This is evidenced by the expanding body of research in the area and the use of measures of patient satisfaction as indicators of health‐care quality. The value of patient satisfaction is particularly apparent in the setting of chronic disease where medical care utilization is high, compliance with therapy is critical and the patient–provider relationship is often long‐term. Although several validated tools exist to quantify general measures of patient satisfaction, there is a recognized need for disease‐specific instruments. Not only are there issues that are unique to haemophilia, but many patients receive care via a specialized comprehensive clinic model. The authors were unaware of an instrument that could adequately address patient satisfaction issues specific to haemophilia; thus, they undertook to develop one. The patient satisfaction survey presented here contains fixed‐choice, Likert‐scale and open‐ended questions adapted from previously validated questionnaires. Assessment of face validity and internal consistency indicate that the survey is measuring one underlying construct – patient satisfaction. Information acquired through this survey will provide a quantitative assessment of patient satisfaction within a clinic population of persons with bleeding disorders and could be used to guide decisions regarding provision of health‐care services.