MEASURING SATISFACTION WITH CARE IN THE NURSING-HOME SETTING - THE NURSING-HOME RESIDENT SATISFACTION SCALE

This pilot study describes the development and evaluation of a 10-item survey instrument designed to measure nursing home residents' satisfa ction with the care they receive. The instrument, consisting of three domains with three items in each (evaluating physician services, nursi ng services, and environment) and a global satisfaction item, was admi nistered to 168 residents at four nursing homes within a 50-mile radiu s of Philadelphia. The test-retest and interrater reliability of the i nstrument was evaluated at both the item and group levels. Results ind icate that this instrument measures satisfaction reliably over time by different interviewers. Few significant correlations were found betwe en the level of reported satisfaction and resident characteristics suc h as age, cognitive functioning, gender, or facility of residence.