The development and use of the Verona Expectations for Care Scale (VECS) and the Verona Service Satisfaction Scale (VSSS) for measuring expectations and satisfaction with community-based psychiatric services in patients, relatives and professionals

In this paper the global design of a research project aiming at measuring expectations and satisfaction of patients, relatives, and professionals with community-based psychiatric services (CPS) in a multidimensional, sensitive, valid and reliable way is described. Some psychometric properties of two newly developed instruments, partly adapted from the Service Satisfaction Scale (SSS), the Verona Expectations for Care Scale (VECS) and the Verona Service Satisfaction Scale (VSSS), are discussed. Three groups were selected for inclusion in the study: all patients living with their families who had more than 18 contacts in the last three years, according to the South-Verona Psychiatric Case Register; the relative who had been mainly caring for the patient; and all professionals working in the South-Verona CPS for at least one year. Data on 75 patients and 76 relatives are presented and show that VECS and VSSS have good content validity and test-retest reliability in both groups. Notwithstanding some differences, patients and relatives expressed similar expectations and were mostly satisfied. The current study is the first to provide a parallel measurement of expectations and satisfaction in all three above-mentioned groups; moreover, it is the first to investigate consumers' satisfaction with a CPS organized according to the principles of the Italian Psychiatric Reform.