Abstract
Purpose: We aimed to develop and validate an instrument measuring perceived importance of indicators of the quality of social care services in different groups of stakeholders. Method: 671 respondents (249 representatives of public administration, 217 social service providers and 205 service users) completed a 40-item questionnaire developed on the basis of relevant quality assessment models.
Results: Item analysis was carried out and it was found that data were suitable for further analysis and no item removal was needed. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) revealed 5-factor solution which was subsequently affirmed by confirmatory factor analysis.
Scales derived from EFA exhibited high internal consistency with Cronbach's alpha ranging from 0.83 to 0.95. Discussion and Conclusion: The study offers a novel approach to the development of a measure of the quality of social care service based on separate investigation of perceived importance and service satisfaction.
Hence, it has relevance for ongoing scientific debate on importance weighting in service satisfaction research.