Patient satisfaction instruments for cancer clinical research or practice

Abstract

Cancer patient satisfaction assessment is increasingly considered, owing to the need to assess evolving patterns of care organization and delivery or to test new cancer treatments and interventions. This article reviews cancer patient satisfaction questionnaires using key methodological criteria. In total, 17 patient satisfaction instruments validated for the field of oncology during the period of 1999–2009 were identified from previous literature reviews and a literature search. Most of these instruments were developed with the input of the target population, relating to various cancer care contexts or treatments, and demonstrating reasonable psychometric performance. Future endeavor should address the appropriate comparison and interpretation of satisfaction data across cultures/languages, cancer treatment or care programs.

Keywords::

• cancer
• clinical research
• cross-cultural adaptation
• patient satisfaction
• psychometrics
• quality of care
• validation

Acknowledgements

This article was written while the second author was on sabbatical, and the support of the Department of Psychology, Université Catholique de Louvain, is gratefully acknowledged.

Financial & competing interests disclosure

The authors have no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.