Comparing Inpatient Satisfaction Collected via a Web-Based Questionnaire Self-Completion and Through a Telephone Interview: An Ancillary Study of the SENTIPAT Randomized Controlled Trial

Comparing SF-36 Scores Collected Through Web-Based Questionnaire Self-completions and Telephone Interviews: An Ancillary Study of the SENTIPAT Multicenter Randomized Controlled Trial

Background

The 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) is a popular questionnaire for measuring the self-perception of quality of life in a given population of interest. Processing the answers of a participant comprises the calculation of 10 scores corresponding to 8 scales measuring several aspects of perceived health and 2 summary components (physical and mental). Surprisingly, no study has compared score values issued from a telephone interview versus those from an internet-based questionnaire self-completion.

Objective

This study aims to compare the SF-36 score values issued from a telephone interview versus those from an internet-based questionnaire self-completion.

Methods

Patients with an internet connection and returning home after hospital discharge were enrolled in the SENTIPAT multicenter randomized trial on the day of discharge. They were randomized to either self-completing a set of questionnaires using a dedicated website (internet group) or providing answers to the same questionnaires administered during a telephone interview (telephone group). This ancillary study of the trial compared SF-36 data related to the posthospitalization period in these 2 groups. To anticipate the potential unbalanced characteristics of the responders in the 2 groups, the impact of the mode of administration of the questionnaire on score differences was investigated using a matched sample of individuals originating from the internet and telephone groups (1:1 ratio), in which the matching procedure was based on a propensity score approach. SF-36 scores observed in the internet and telephone groups were compared using the Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney test, and the score differences between the 2 groups were also examined according to Cohen effect size.

Results

Overall, 29.2% (245/840) and 75% (630/840) of SF-36 questionnaires were completed in the internet and telephone groups, respectively (P<.001). Globally, the score differences between groups before matching were similar to those observed in the matched sample. Mean scores observed in the telephone group were all above the corresponding values observed in the internet group. After matching, score differences in 6 out of the 8 SF-36 scales were statistically significant, with a mean difference greater than 5 for 4 scales and an associated mild effect size ranging from 0.22 to 0.29, and with a mean difference near this threshold for 2 other scales (4.57 and 4.56) and a low corresponding effect size (0.18 and 0.16, respectively).

Conclusions

The telephone mode of administration of SF-36 involved an interviewer effect, increasing SF-36 scores. Questionnaire self-completion via the internet should be preferred, and surveys combining various administration methods should be avoided.

Trial Registration

ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01769261; https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/record/NCT01769261

Interprofessional Communication Team for Caregivers of Patients Hospitalized in the COVID-19 Wards: Results From an Italian Experience

Background: During the COVID-19 pandemic, emergency restrictions did not allow clinician family meetings and relatives' visits. In Molinette Hospital, a new communication model between healthcare providers and families of COVID-19 affected patients was developed by a team of physicians and psychologists. The study's aims were to investigate caregivers' distress and to analyse their satisfaction with the communications provided. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among caregivers of patients of Molinette Hospital COVID wards. Between April and June 2020, all caregivers were contacted 2 weeks after the patient's discharge/death to assess their satisfaction with the communications received through an online survey. Results: A total of 155 caregivers completed the survey. Caregivers' distress level was found to be higher in women than men (p = 0.048) and in caregivers whose relative died compared to the caregivers whose relative was discharged (p < 0.001). More than 85% of caregivers defined communication "excellent"/"very good"; being male was associated with higher satisfaction levels than women (β = -0.165, p = 0.046). Besides daily communication, 63 caregivers (40.6%) received additional support from a psychologist of the team. Conclusions: To our knowledge, this is the first study presenting, in an emergency, a new model of communication provided by a team of physicians and psychologists, and analyzing satisfaction with it. This model was highly appreciated by caregivers and it limited the discomfort caused by the restrictions on relatives' visits. It would be interesting to further evaluate the possibility of extending a communication model that includes doctors and psychologists in routine clinical practice.

Relationship between inpatient satisfaction and the quality of surgery

Background

This study sought to investigate the correlation between inpatient satisfaction and surgical quality evaluation indicators, and explore the factors affecting inpatient satisfaction.

Methods

A total of 5,000 inpatients who underwent surgery at 10 tertiary. A hospital in Chongqing were randomly selected and asked to complete an inpatient satisfaction questionnaire developed by our team in a previous study. A logistic regression was undertaken to analyze the factors affecting inpatient satisfaction, and the relationship between inpatient satisfaction and evaluation indicators of surgical quality.

Results

The overall satisfaction level of inpatients undergoing surgery was high. Specifically, the satisfaction level was 88.7%, and the dissatisfaction level was 11.3%. A univariate analysis showed that age, marital status, education level, monthly family income, the source of medical costs, the average length of the hospital stay, first hospitalization or not, doctor-patient communication, the quality of surgery, service attitude, 30-day postoperative mortality, major and minor complications, the rescue failure rate, readmission, and the incision infection rate affected the patient satisfaction, and the difference between satisfied and dissatisfied patients in each group was statistically significant (all P=0.000). The results of the logistic regression analysis showed that the factors related to the satisfaction of surgical quality indicators were postoperative 30-day mortality, major and minor complications, the rescue failure rate, the incision infection rate, and the average length of the hospital stay (all P<0.05), and the factors related to a decrease in inpatient satisfaction were increased postoperative 30-day mortality, a high incidence of major and minor complications, a high rescue failure rate, and a high incision infection rate.

Conclusions

There was a significant correlation between inpatient satisfaction and surgical quality evaluation indicators (i.e., 30-day mortality, major and minor complications, the rescue failure rate, the incision infection rate, and the average length of the hospital stay).

The perception gap of chemotherapy-induced adverse events between doctors and cancer patients: an observational study in China

INTRODUCTION

Patient-reported outcomes (PROs) have been widely accepted in western countries. However, limited attention has been given to PROs in China due to a lack of research on the agreement between doctors' and patients' reports of adverse events. This study aims to reveal the perception gap of chemotherapy-induced adverse events between doctors and cancer patients in China.

METHODS

An observational study was administered at Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center (SYSUCC). Totally, 200 adult cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy participated. Patient reports were collected by nurses via telephone. Doctor reports were collected by nurses based on their medical records. The agreement between doctors and patients was analyzed by Cohen's κ.

RESULTS

Agreement between doctors and patients varied among different symptoms: 0.26 for nausea/vomiting, 0.49 for constipation, 0.63 for diarrhea, 0.65 for general pain, and 0.76 for rash. Doctors' underreporting rates were 70% for nausea/vomiting, 50% for diarrhea, 38% for rash, 33% for constipation, and 29% for general pain.

CONCLUSIONS

The perception gap of chemotherapy-induced adverse events between doctors and patients exists in China, especially regarding subjective symptoms. Introduction of PROs in both clinical trials and routine clinical practice should be considered in China.

Cultural adaptation and validation of the General Practice Nurse Satisfaction Scale

ABSTRACT Objective: To culturally adapt and validate the General Practice Nurse Satisfaction Scale for the Brazilian context. Method: Methodological study performed according to guidelines provided in the international scientific literature and validation of the Australian instrument for the Brazilian context. The sample consisted of 199 patients admitted from August 2017 to January 2018 in a public university hospital in the south of Brazil. Data were analyzed using factor analysis and Cronbach’s alpha. Results: According to factor analysis, 21 questions were validated and divided into four dimensions: interpersonal relationship and communication, confidence, credibility, and dedication. The instrument presented satisfactory internal consistency, with Cronbach's alpha equal to 0.93, and ranging between 0.87 and 0.66 for the dimensions. Conclusion: The instrument’s Brazilian version is valid and reliable to assess the satisfaction of patients with nursing care.