Development, internal consistency and reliability of the Verona Service Satisfaction Scale – European Version: EPSILON Study 7

Background Satisfaction with mental health services is an important quality and outcome variable. The Verona Service Satisfaction Scale (VSSS) is a well-established method for measuiring service satisfaction. Aim To report the development and reliability study of the European Version of the VSSS (VSSS–EU). Method A sample of people with schizophrenia on the case-load of local mental health services in the five European participating countries was assessed. The VSSS–EU was administered at one site in each country at two points in time. Internal consistency and test–retest reliability were assessed and compared between the five sites. Results The α coefficient for the VSSS–EU total score in the pooled sample was 0.96 (95% CI 0.94–0.97) and ranged from 0.92 (95% CI 0.60–1.00) to 0.96 (95% CI 0.93–0.98) across the sites. Test–retest reliability for VSSS–EU total score, pooled over sites, was 0.82 (95% CI 0.78–0.85) and ranged from 0.73 (95% CI 0.6–0.86) to 0.93 (95% CI 0.89–0.97) across the sites. Conclusion VSSS–EU is a reliable instrument for measuring service satisfaction in people with schizophrenia, for use in comparative cross-national research projects and in routine clinical practice in mental health services across Europe.