Key message

The Norwegian Knowledge Centre for the Health Services has, for the first time in Norway, developed a method for measuring patients’ experiences with rehabilitation centres, including all patients regardless of diagnoses, goals for rehabilitation and type of rehabilitation centres.

After reviewing Norwegian and international literature we concluded that a new questionnaire was necessary. Together with the findings in the literature, interviews with rehabilitation patients identified topics to be included in the questionnaire. An expert panel also contributed to the process. Using cognitive interviewing, a draft of the questionnaire was tested on a small group of patients before it was applied in a postal pilot survey.

Patients from eight rehabilitation centres participated in the pilot study. The centres  were selected to ensure a sufficient number of participants, variation in health conditions, and type of institution. Gross sample included 371 patients. We achieved a return rate of 75 percent after one reminder.

The questionnaire contained items about treatment, the stay at the centre, the centre’s physical standard and service, cooperation with health services at the patients domicile, quality of life, change in health status and level of functioning, as well as background variables.

The results were analysed, the questionnaire’s reliability and validity tested, and the data collection method was assessed. The results indicated need for adjustment of the questionnaire before it could be used in local or national surveys.
The report contains questionnaires for local and national surveys and advice for data collection in local surveys.