Purpose of the study: The majority of resident satisfaction surveys available for use in assisted living settings have been developed in the United States; however, empirical assessment of their measurement properties remains limited and sporadic, as does knowledge regarding their applicability for use in settings outside of the United States. This study further examines the psychometric properties of the Ohio Department of Aging-Resident Satisfaction Survey (ODA-RSS) and explores its applicability within a sample of Canadian assisted living facilities.
Design and methods: Data were collected from 9,739 residential care facility (RCF) residents in Ohio, United States and 938 assisted-living residents in British Columbia, Canada. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to assess the instrument's psychometric properties within the 2 samples.
Results: Although the ODA-RSS appears well suited for assessing resident satisfaction in Ohio RCFs, it is less so in British Columbia assisted living settings. Adequate reliability and validity were observed for all 8 measurable instrument domains in the Ohio sample, but only 4 (Care and Services, Employee Relations, Employee Responsiveness, and Communications) in the British Columbia sample.
Implications: The ODA-RSS performs best in an environment that encompasses a wide range of RCF types. In settings where greater uniformity and standardization exist, more nuanced questions may be required to detect variation between facilities. It is not sufficient to assume that rigorous development and empirical testing of a tool ensures its applicability in states or countries other than that in which it was initially developed.
Keywords: Assisted living; Confirmatory factor analysis; Reliability; Resident satisfaction; Validity.