Perceptions of parents on satisfaction with care in the pediatric intensive care unit: the EMPATHIC study

To identify parental perceptions on pediatric intensive care-related satisfaction items within the framework of developing a Dutch pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) satisfaction instrument. Prospective cohort study in tertiary PICUs at seven university medical centers in The Netherlands. Parents of 1,042 children discharged from a PICU. A 78-item questionnaire was sent to 1,042 parents and completed by 559 (54%). Seventeen satisfaction items were rated with mean scores <8.0 (1, completely unimportant, to 10, very important) with standard deviations > or =1.65, and thus considered of limited value. The empirical structure of the items was in agreement with the theoretically formulated domains: Information, Care and Cure, Organization, Parental Participation, and Professional Attitude. The Cronbach's alpha of the domains ranged between 0.87 and 0.94. Parental perceptions on satisfaction with care measures were identified and prioritized. Reliabilities of the items and domains were of high level