Patient experience assessment in pediatric hospitals in Argentina.

Objective: To create a hospital pediatric inpatient experience survey based on the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems Hospital Survey (CAHPS® Hospital Survey).

Design: Survey development based on: (i) Translation and back translation, (ii) Review by experts, (iii) Cultural adaptation: qualitative evaluation of dimensions with reformulation and adaptation of items, (iv) Local cognitive evaluation and (v) Final measurement of its psychometric properties. Inspection, content validity and reliability assessment through internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha coefficient) and inter-item correlation. Factor analysis matrix: extraction, selection and rotation.

Setting: Two pediatric hospitals in Buenos Aires, Argentina: Hospital de Pediatría 'Garrahan' (HG) and Hospital de Niños 'Ricardo Gutiérrez' (HRG).

Participants: Parents or caregivers of pediatric patients hospitalized for at least 24 h.

Results: A feasible and easy to administer 21-item instrument was developed. One thousand and thirty-two surveys were analyzed, 630 (61%) in HG and 402 (39%) in HRG. Population: mothers of admitted children were interviewed 85% of the time, 61% (625) had completed minor schooling to high school education; 365 families (35%) had unsatisfied basic needs and 51% (529) did not have health insurance. Reliability: adequate Cronbach's alpha scores were found with correlation 0.7 or higher in most domains. Validity: a direct correlation was observed between overall positive opinion and quality of care perceived with the survey, and an indirect correlation (perceived low quality) with higher level of schooling and health insurance ownership.

Conclusion: An instrument with adequate psychometric properties was adapted to evaluate patients and families' perceptions of quality of care received during children's hospitalization.