Portuguese version of the user satisfaction scale with the care of the family physician – SatMF17: Psychometric validation

Abstract

AIMS: To evaluate the psychometric properties of the satisfaction scale of patients with the care of the family physician (SatMF17). METHODS: Methodological study, in which users enrolled in Family Health Units and Personalized Health Care Units of the Marão and Douro Norte Health Centers. The criteria for inclusion of the users were: to be a patient enrolled in one of the two referenced units, to be over 18 and under 65 years old, to be able to read and write and to have had, at least, one visit in the last year in one of the two units. The SatMF17 scale consists of 17 items, answered by a Likert scale ranging from 1 (bad) to 5 (excellent), in which the sum ranges from 17 to 85. The data collection was carried out in the period between January and June 2016. The patient who met the inclusion criteria upon arrival at the health unit was invited to participate in the study by the administrative assistant. After a presentation and explanation of the objectives of the study, and signing of the consent term, the questionnaire was offered to the patient, who at the end of self-completion inserted it into an envelope. For statistical analysis, the statistical resources were Cronbach’s alpha coefficient, exploratory factorial analysis, Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin criteria, Bartlett’s sphericity test and Pearson’s correlation coefficient. RESULTS: The sample included had 284 patients, of whom 159 (56,0%) were female. The mean age was 41,2 years, ranging from 18 years to 65 years. The exploratory factorial analysis in main components and varimax rotation revealed a factorial solution of two factors with eigenvalues greater than 1, which together explain 72,48% of the total variance of patient satisfaction with the care of the family doctor. CONCLUSIONS: The SatMF17 Scale is reliable and valid and can be used in populations with similar characteristics, constituting an instrument of practical utility to evaluate the satisfaction of patients with the care of the family doctor.