Piloting a Patient-based Questionnaire to Assess Patient Satisfaction with the Process of Orthodontic Treatment

• DOI: 10.2319/060108-287.1
• Publication Date: 2009-02-17T18:09:28Z
• Authors: Annalise McNair; Karen J. Drage; Anthony J. Ireland; Jonathan R. Sandy; Alison C. Williams
• Keywords: Male; Adolescent; 610; Reproducibility of Results; Pilot Projects; Orthodontics, Corrective; 3. Good health; 03 medical and health sciences; 0302 clinical medicine; Patient Satisfaction; Surveys and Questionnaires; Humans; Female; Child

Abstract

Objective: To test the scientific properties of a patient-based questionnaire developed to measure adolescent patient's satisfaction with the process of orthodontic treatment.

Materials and Methods: Forty-nine consecutive patients aged 9 to 17 years undergoing orthodontic treatment were asked to complete the questionnaire on two separate occasions. Test-retest reliability, readability, ease of administration, criterion validity, and construct validity were tested. All patients answered the questionnaire at time 1 and took part in the construct validity study. Ten patients took part in an ease of administration study and 17 patients took part in the criterion validity study.

Results: Thirty-one patients completed the questionnaire at time 2, giving a response rate of 63.3%. The test-retest reliability was excellent in one section, moderate in six sections, and poor in one. The questionnaire had a Flesch Reading Score of 79.8, equivalent to a reading age of 10 years and was easily administered in 5 to 15 minutes. Although the construct validity of the questionnaire was excellent in five of the six measures and moderate in the other, the criterion validity was poor for 7 of the 14 items selected to test.

Conclusion: This pilot study demonstrates the need to test a questionnaire before use in audit or research.