OBJECTIVES: Summarize the research literature on treatment satisfaction since 2002 with respect to: 1) conceptual models of patient satisfaction; and 2) measurement of patient satisfaction.

METHODS: A scoping literature was performed using Embase and PubMed databases using the following search terms: ‘treatment satisfaction’, consisting of English language studies. Inclusion criteria for the conceptual models included full conceptual model; concept note on patient’s satisfaction measurement; theory on patient satisfaction measurement; hypothesis on patients satisfaction measurement; publication on steps to measure patient satisfaction. Inclusion criteria for the measurements included only patient/self-reported outcomes; PRO Tools to measure patient satisfaction; measures to report patient satisfaction related to: treatment with drugs/molecules, treatment/diagnosis/prognosis/reporting with equipment/tool, treatment mode of administration (oral/injectable/sub-lingual/subcutaneous etc.), and technology. For each article, values for the following fields were recorded: sample size, geography, disease area, patient satisfaction enhancement tool and category, presentation of a conceptual plan, patient satisfaction measurement tool or instrument.

RESULTS: The methodology yielded 1064 abstracts and, subsequently, 749 articles after excluding articles where patient satisfaction was not measured. 95 of these studies were conducted in the U.S., followed by 21 in Australia, 19 each in the U.K, Germany and Canada, 12 in Spain, 9 in the Netherlands and 8 in Japan. Studies ranged in size from only N=5 patients with Parkinson’s disease to N=24,308 depressed patients in the UK. Treatment satisfaction questionnaires developed for a specific condition, symptom or event included diabetes, breast cancer, Crohn’s disease, HIV, osteoporosis, erectile dysfunction, overactive bladder, constipation, pain, postoperative pain and childbirth. Treatment satisfaction questionnaires developed for a specific drug treatment included self-injectable insulin and anti-coagulants. Some questionnaires captured preference but not satisfaction.

CONCLUSIONS: Broad landscape of treatment satisfaction studies, but the majority focus on self-administered oral drugs and are assessed through Likert-style rating responses to questions, although visual analog scales are also prevalent.