Translation, cross-cultural adaptation and validation of short-form patient satisfaction questionnaire (PSQ-18) in Bengali

PURPOSE: In the context of global healthcare, patient satisfaction is a core determinant of quality care. The Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire-18 (PSQ-18) is a comprehensive tool for measuring patient satisfaction. However, it was originally developed in English and has not been validated in Bangla. Therefore, this study aimed to culturally adapt and validate the PSQ-18 for Bangla-speaking people of Bangladesh. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: This study was conducted in the Department of Rheumatology at Bangladesh Medical University over a period of 18 months. It comprised two phases: the first phase focused on the translation and cultural adaptation of the PSQ-18 into Bangla (PSQ-18 B), involving translation, back-translation, expert review and pretesting. The second phase assessed the psychometric properties of the PSQ-18 B, including internal consistency, test-retest reliability, content validity and construct validity. In this phase, the PSQ-18 B was administered to 130 patients through a self-administered questionnaire, followed by a retest after one week. FINDINGS: The study observed strong internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha near 0.99) and excellent test-retest reliability (Inter class correlation coefficient ranging from 0.90 to 0.99) across all 18 items of the tool. Content validity was tested by expert rheumatologists with item level content validation index of 1 and scale level content validation index of 1. Strong construct validity was indicated by significant positive correlations between the score of item 3 and overall total satisfaction score (rs = 0.97, p < 0.05). ORIGINALITY/VALUE: This study is the first to adapt and validate the PSQ-18 for the Bangla-speaking population. The findings confirm the PSQ-18 B as a reliable and relevant measure of patient satisfaction, and ready to be used as key assessment tool for Bangladeshi healthcare settings.