Defining and Measuring Patient Satisfaction.

Reporting patient satisfaction has become an increasingly common component of studies evaluating treatment outcomes. However the construct of "patient satisfaction" is one that is complex and context dependent. While there is no question that careful, reliable, and valid measurement of this important aspect of patient care is required, tools for achieving this objective have not been fully developed. Measures of patient satisfaction that reflect the unique role of the hand in everyday life will require the same approach to instrument development as has been used to move forward the field of outcome measurement in general.