Development and validation of a disease‐specific treatment satisfaction questionnaire for gastro‐oesophageal reflux disease

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Abstract
Background : Currently, no disease‐specific, patient‐based, treatment satisfaction instruments related to gastro‐oesophageal reflux disease exist. Aim: To develop and validate a treatment satisfaction questionnaire for gastro‐oesophageal reflux disease (TSQ‐G). Methods : A new questionnaire was developed from patient focus groups, clinician input and literature review. A validation study was conducted in treated gastro‐oesophageal reflux disease patients. Ancillary measures included the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form‐36, Quality of Life in Reflux and Dyspepsia, Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Scale, Socially Desirable Response Scale, Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire‐18 and physician and patient measures of symptoms and satisfaction. Statistical analyses included exploratory factor analysis, Cronbach's alpha, intra‐class correlations, analyses of variance and t‐tests. Results : A total of 198 gastro‐oesophageal reflux disease patients participated in the study, with a mean age of 50.7 years, 68% female and 84% Caucasian. The physician‐rated severity of gastro‐oesophageal reflux disease was mild (32%), moderate (50%) and severe (18%); 83% were on proton pump inhibitors. The final TSQ‐G consisted of 28 items with seven sub‐scales; Cronbach's alpha ranged from 0.58 to 0.94. Correlations with the expected sub‐scales of the ancillary measures were moderate to strong. The TSQ‐G sub‐scales discriminated significantly between levels of physician‐rated disease severity, symptom days and patient and physician ratings of satisfaction. Conclusions : The TSQ‐G has excellent reliability and construct validity and appears to be a useful tool for the evaluation of treatment satisfaction in gastro‐oesophageal reflux disease patients.