Validation of the caregivers' satisfaction with Stroke Care Questionnaire: C-SASC hospital scale

J Neurol. 2011 Jun;258(6):1008-12. doi: 10.1007/s00415-010-5871-2. Epub 2010 Dec 22.

Abstract

To date, researchers have lacked a validated instrument to measure stroke caregivers' satisfaction with hospital care. We adjusted a validated patient version of satisfaction with hospital care for stroke caregivers and tested the 11-item caregivers' satisfaction with hospital care (C-SASC hospital scale) on caregivers of stroke patients admitted to nine stroke service facilities in the Netherlands. Stroke patients were identified through the stroke service facilities; caregivers were identified through the patients. We collected admission demographic data from the caregivers and gave them the C-SASC hospital scale. We tested the instrument by means of structural equation modeling and examined its validity and reliability. After the elimination of three items, the confirmatory factor analyses revealed good indices of fit with the resulting eight-item C-SASC hospital scale. Cronbach's α was high (0.85) and correlations with general satisfaction items with hospital care ranged from 0.594 to 0.594 (convergent validity). No significant relations were found with health and quality of life (divergent validity). Such results indicate strong construct validity. We conclude that the C-SASC hospital scale is a promising instrument for measuring stroke caregivers' satisfaction with hospital stroke care.

Publication types

  • Validation Study

MeSH terms

  • Caregivers / psychology*
  • Factor Analysis, Statistical
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Personal Satisfaction*
  • Professional-Patient Relations
  • Reproducibility of Results
  • Stroke / nursing*
  • Surveys and Questionnaires*