Assessing Patient Satisfaction: Using the Radiation Oncology Patient Satisfaction [ROPS] Questionnaire in a Private Practice Setting

A new patient satisfaction measure called the Radiation Oncology Patient Satisfaction (ROPS) questionnaire is used in this study to measure satisfaction data for radiation oncology in private practice. Limitations of existing literature on patient satisfaction demonstrated a need to develop a questionnaire that was more tailored to analyze patient satisfaction among those utilizing private oncology centers within the U.S. healthcare system. This need was met by this study’s development of the ROPS questionnaire, which was a variation of 2 existing constructs that are presented in the text. The questionnaire was fielded among patients at a private cancer radiation treatment clinic in Florida (n = 950). Data analysis tested the psychometric properties of our revised construct and its predictive validity for 2 patient satisfaction outcomes: (1) likelihood of recommending this treatment center to family members/close friends and (2) overall satisfaction with treatment. Each of the ROPS variables were found to make a legitimate contribution to evaluating patients’ overall satisfaction with radiation treatment. Findings indicated organizational setting was of vital importance when conducting patient- centered research on satisfaction. Treatment factors in ROPS can be adjusted to measure satisfaction with chemotherapy or other modalities in addition to radiation treatment. Authors recommend radiation oncology clinics regularly monitor patient satisfaction, especially if/when they experience organizational changes, such as when a new physician joins the practice or if/when the national or local landscape undergoes significant shifts in norms and expectations like we have seen happen with COVID-19.