[Italian validation of the Patient Satisfaction Scale].

Patient's satisfaction is a major outcome of the health care services and it is mainly determined by patients' perception of the nursing care received. Many instruments measuring patients' satisfaction are described in the literature. In this study the validation of the Patient Satisfaction Scale in the Italian context is documented. Content validity of the scale has been reached with forward-backward translation, achieving semantic equivalence with the original scale. The scale has been completed by 220 (response rate 91%) surgical patients during their hospitalization and has showed a good response variability and a high reliability (Cronbach alpha = 0.93). The Italian version of the PSS is considered valid and reliable; moreover the high response rate obtained indicates a good level of acceptability of the scale in clinical settings.