Development and validation of PSPSQ 2.0 measuring patient satisfaction with pharmacist services

Abstract

The extant literature reveals a lack of psychometrically validated tools measuring patient satisfaction with pharmacist clinical services. The Patient Satisfaction with Pharmacist Services Questionnaire (PSPSQ 2.0) was developed to address this need using a mixed methods approach. To assess the psychometric properties of the PSPSQ 2.0, an instrument developed to measure patient satisfaction with clinical services provided by pharmacists. Validation studies were conducted in two Veterans Affairs (VA)-based and two community-based (diabetes and psychiatric care) disease management/medication therapy management clinics. The PSPSQ 2.0 consisted of 22-items related to three domains identified as quality of care, patient-pharmacist relationship and overall satisfaction using a 4-point, Likert-type scale. It was administered to participants following their session with a pharmacist at the clinics. Collected data were analyzed for descriptive statistics, internal consistency, and validity using exploratory factor analysis. A total of 149 patients completed the survey. Patients from VA clinics were on average 61 years old, mostly white (63%), and predominantly male (95%). Patients from non-VA clinics were on average 47 years old, mostly White (47%) and male (53%). Non-VA patients mostly had Medicaid (42%) and commercial health insurance (31%), whereas VA patients retained benefits with the US Department of Veterans Affairs. Reliability of the scale using internal consistency metrics revealed a Cronbach's alpha of 0.98, 0.98 and 0.95 for VA, diabetes, and psychiatric care clinics, respectively, whereas the Cronbach's alpha for the pooled sample was 0.96. Factor analyses resulted in a three-factor solution accounting for 91% and 69% variance for diabetes and psychiatric care clinics, respectively; however, VA clinics and pooled sample yielded only 2-factor solution with 80% and 66% variance, respectively, with more items loading on patient-pharmacist relationship domain. The results suggest that the PSPSQ 2.0 can serve as a reliable and valid tool for measuring patient satisfaction with pharmacists providing clinical services in VA- and non-VA settings upon further validation.