Child, Parent, and Physician Perceived Satisfaction with Pediatric Outpatient Visits

Abstract

Patient satisfaction has been linked empirically to a variety of health care outcomes (e.g., treatment adherence). Unfortunately, there is a paucity of data regarding the assessment of children's satisfaction with pediatric care. This lack of instrumentation was the impetus for the development and preliminary validation of the Metro Assessment of Child Satisfaction (MACS). Findings indicated the MACS is internally consistent and easily administered and understood by children as young as 6 years of age. Factor analysis yielded four distinct factors that appear to be statistically valid and clinically meaningful. Findings are discussed in relation to maternal ratings of satisfaction and physician perceptions of patient and parent satisfaction. J Dev Behav Pediatr 14:8–12, 1993. Index terms: children's satisfaction, pediatric care, assessment.