Background: The evaluation of patient satisfaction receives increasing attention partly due to pressure from state agencies involved in the administration of health care. Outpatients' satisfaction with their doctor is a major component of total patient satisfaction. However, a validated instrument for assessing this has not previously been available in French.
Patients and methods: The Princess Margaret Hospital Patient Satisfaction with Doctor Questionnaire (PMH/PSQ-MD) is a recently validated tool available in English for this purpose. A three-step procedure was conducted to obtain a validated French translation of the PMH/PSQ-MD. Subsequently, outpatients receiving chemotherapy, symptomatic treatment or attending a follow-up clinic were approached to participate in the study and complete the questionnaire. Acceptability and reliability (Cronbach's alpha score), as well as internal and external (Pearson correlation coefficient with the Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire IV) validities were studied.
Results: 137 patients were approached and 116 fully completed the study. The PMH/PSQ-MD's acceptability was high (<10% of non-responders). Internal validity was also high (Cronbach's alpha score > 0.7 for each dimension). External validity in comparison with the PSQ IV was high as well. Women demonstrated higher satisfaction scores, while age had no influence on patient satisfaction.
Conclusions: The F-PMH/PSQ-MD is a questionnaire which addresses outpatients' satisfaction with their doctor, and is now available for research purpose as well as for daily practice.