What is the Patient Satisfaction Survey?

The Patient Satisfaction Survey was developed to address the need for culturally appropriate patient-reported outcomes of healthcare.  The instrument is based on an existing patient satisfaction instrument, the Group Health Association of America (GHAA) survey, but has been tailored to capture the specific concerns of older African Americans.  Issues and concerns of African Americans about their quality of care were explored through qualitative research (Fongwa, 1998).  Results were the basis for adapting GHAA items and writing new items.  A pilot test (N=30) of a 77-item survey generated comments and suggestions, resulting in modifications.  A 71-item survey was field tested among 100 older African Americans and 114 Whites (aged 50-93).  Psychometric analyses demonstrated support for a 63-item instrument tapping 15 domains that were appropriate for African Americans and Whites. The 63-item survey assess respondents’ ratings of multiple dimensions of the health care they have received (ranging from very poor to excellent) (# of items in parentheses):

Citation: MN Fongwa, Dimensions of quality of care: African Americans’ perspectives. Dissertation Abstracts International. 1998:4727.

Citation: Fongwa MN, Hays RD, Gutierrez PR, Stewart AL. Psychometric characteristics of a patient satisfaction instrument tailored to the concerns of African Americans.  Ethnicity & Disease, 2006;16: 948-955.  PMID:17061752

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Download the Patient Satisfaction Survey and Scoring Instructions

The Patient Satisfaction Survey was designed to be self-administered but can also be interviewer-administered.  The self-administered survey and scoring manual are available here for downloading:

For more information about this research, contact Dr. Marie Fongwa at [email protected].