Job satisfaction in rehabilitation clinics--Development of the "MiZu-Reha" questionnaire and its use in quality assurance

Abstract

In this study, we report on the development and validation of a questionnaire measuring job satisfaction in rehabilitation centres. The questionnaire "Fragebogen zur Mitarbeiterzufriedenheit in Rehabilitationskliniken" ("MiZu-Reha") consists of 75 items. Three scales measure work climate, leadership and work organisation/communication. Further items assess weak points of work organisation and job satisfaction with several predefined aspects (e. g., career opportunities and salary). The scales have good internal consistency with Cronbach's alpha between 0.86 and 0.94. The dimensionality of the scales was established by confirmatory factor analyses. Correlations between the MiZu-Reha scales and independent satisfaction measures indicate the validity of the questionnaire. Correlations between the MiZu-Reha scales and indicators of patient satisfaction, process quality and outcome are in all cases positive (the higher the job satisfaction, the better the quality of rehabilitation), though weak and statistically not significant. Rehabilitation centres differ clearly from each other regarding job satisfaction of their employees. This shows the usefulness of clinic comparisons based on the MiZu-Reha. The questionnaire can be utilized in external quality assurance programmes, in the context of internal quality assurance measures (e. g. the Business Excellence Model of the European Foundation of Quality Management, EFQM) and in the use of management instruments such as the Balanced Scorecard.