Description

The Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire (PSQ-18) is a standardized psychometric instrument designed to assess patients’ satisfaction with healthcare services and their perceptions regarding the quality of medical care received. The questionnaire was developed by Ware, Snyder, and Wright (1976) as a tool for evaluating patient experiences and identifying factors associated with satisfaction or dissatisfaction with healthcare delivery.

Patient satisfaction is considered an important indicator of healthcare quality, as it has been associated with factors such as adherence to medical recommendations, trust in healthcare providers, and patients’ willingness to continue using healthcare services.

Objective

The main objective of the PSQ-18 is to provide a systematic method through which patients can evaluate healthcare services and identify areas requiring improvement.

The questionnaire supports the assessment of healthcare quality from the patient’s perspective and can contribute to the development of interventions aimed at improving healthcare organization, communication, and service delivery.

Structure and Content

The PSQ-18 consists of 18 items evaluating different aspects of medical care and patients’ experiences with healthcare services.

Participants are asked to respond based on the healthcare they are currently receiving. If they are not currently receiving medical care, they are instructed to answer according to the type of care they would expect to receive if hospitalization or medical treatment were required.

The questionnaire assesses overall perceptions of healthcare quality, including satisfaction with professional behaviour and the effectiveness of healthcare provision.

Scoring Method

Responses are evaluated using a five-point Likert scale, ranging from:

1 = Strongly Agree

to

5 = Strongly Disagree.

The total score is calculated by summing the responses to all items, with a possible range from 18 to 90.

According to the scoring interpretation provided in the questionnaire, higher scores indicate greater dissatisfaction, including perceptions of unprofessional behaviour and disappointment with healthcare services, whereas lower scores indicate higher patient satisfaction.

Data Analysis and Use

The PSQ-18 data can be analysed using descriptive statistics, reliability analysis, correlation analysis, and comparative statistical methods.

The questionnaire can be used to examine differences in patient satisfaction according to demographic characteristics, healthcare settings, type of service received, and other healthcare-related variables.

It is particularly useful in healthcare quality assessment studies, patient experience research, and evaluations of healthcare improvement programs.

Validity and Reliability

The PSQ-18 has been adapted into Greek by N. Polyzos using a reverse independent translation procedure. The Greek version demonstrated acceptable internal consistency, with Cronbach’s alpha = 0.74, while significant covariance among questionnaire items was also observed.

These findings support the reliability of the instrument for assessing patient satisfaction within healthcare contexts.

Applications

The Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire (PSQ-18) can be applied in:

healthcare quality evaluation,

hospital and primary care research,

patient experience assessment,

health service improvement programs,

and studies examining the relationship between healthcare delivery and patient perceptions.

References

Ware, J. E. (1976). Development and validation of scales to measure patient satisfaction with health care services. Southern Illinois University, School of Medicine.

Greek adaptation: Polyzos, N.