Psychometric testing of the Norwegian version of the questionnaire Family Satisfaction in the Intensive Care Unit (FS-ICU-24).

Introduction: The questionnaire, Family Satisfaction in the Intensive Care Unit (FS-ICU-24), was developed to assess relatives' satisfaction with care and involvement in decision-making processes when a close family member stays in the ICU.

Aim: This study was aimed at describing the translation and exploring the psychometric properties of the Norwegian version of the questionnaire.

Methods: The study design was a cross-sectional survey. After translating the questionnaire according to recommended procedures, 123 close relatives of patients, recently treated in ICU, responded to a mailed questionnaire including the FS-ICU-24-No. Item-to-total correlations and Cronbach's alpha coefficient were assessed for estimating reliability and construct validity was assessed by the "known groups" technique and explorative factor analysis.

Results: The Cronbach's alpha coefficient of 0.96 and significant item-to-total correlations supported the homogeneity of the instrument. The construct validity was reflected in significant differences in median scores on the total scale and subscales between the group reporting lower degrees of satisfaction and the group reporting higher degrees of satisfaction. Two fixed factors with an eigenvalue >1, and an explained variance of 62.5%, emerged from the factor analysis.

Conclusion: The FS-ICU-24-No showed promising psychometric properties regarding reliability in this study group, which may indicate that the instrument is suitable for assessing family members' satisfaction with care and decision making in Norwegian ICU.