The Validity and Reliability of a Japanese Version of the Family Satisfaction in the Intensive Care Unit Survey: Multicenter Study.

Background: The purpose of this study was to examine the reliability and validity of the Japanese version of the Family Satisfaction in the Intensive Care Unit (FS-ICU). Methods: In the present study, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted to examine whether the Japanese data retained the same factor structure as reported in development studies, and CFA was performed using the maximum likelihood estimation method. Results: The CFA for the FS-ICU revealed acceptable model fit indices. The internal consistency of the FS‒ICU subscales was also evaluated. The Cronbach's alpha for the satisfaction with care subscale was 0.967, that for the information needs subscale was 0.935, and that for the process of making decisions subscale was 0.796, indicating high reliability for the first two subscales and acceptable reliability for the third. The FS-ICU score for satisfaction with care was significantly negatively correlated with the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale-Anxiety (HADS-A) score and depression score, whereas information needs was significantly negatively correlated with HADS-A score (p < 0.05). However, no significant correlations between the FS-ICU and Impact of Event Scale-Revised scores were detected. Conclusions: The Japanese version of the FS-ICU questionnaire was found to have acceptable reliability and validity in a Japanese population and can be used to drive improvements in ICU care. Trial registration: Not applicable.