Overall Satisfaction with Rehabilitation Scale (OSWRS)

Abstract

The Overall Satisfaction with Rehabilitation Scale (OSWRS) is a concise, self-report instrument designed to quantify an individual’s subjective feelings and cognitive evaluations regarding their experience and progress within a physical rehabilitation program. Developed primarily within the domain of sports psychology and athletic injury recovery, the scale captures the patient’s level of satisfaction concerning the perceived speed of recovery, their overall enthusiasm for attending therapy sessions, and their general positive outlook on the entire recovery process. It is a rapid assessment tool that provides valuable insight into the psychological engagement of the patient.

The OSWRS utilizes a standard 7-point Likert scale format, ranging from 1 (Strongly disagree) to 7 (Strongly agree). This simple structure allows for quick administration and scoring, making it highly practical for clinical and research settings focused on evaluating patient outcomes and adherence to treatment protocols.

Keywords

Rehabilitation Satisfaction, Athletic Injury, Psychological Assessment, Patient Outcome, Likert Scale, Therapy Adherence, Sports Psychology, Recovery Process.

Authors

Joel Cressman, Kimberley A. Dawson

Purpose

The primary purpose of the Overall Satisfaction with Rehabilitation Scale (OSWRS) is to measure the patient’s overall psychological and emotional satisfaction with their ongoing rehabilitation journey. It moves beyond purely physical measures of recovery by assessing the patient’s subjective perception of the process itself. This measure is crucial because patient satisfaction is often highly correlated with adherence to therapeutic regimens and, consequently, better long-term outcomes.

The scale was instrumental in the original research context for evaluating the effectiveness of psychological interventions, such as Healing Imagery, by providing a baseline and outcome measure for the patient’s engagement and positive appraisal of their recovery efforts. High satisfaction scores indicate positive engagement and belief in the treatment plan.

Construct

The OSWRS measures the psychological construct of Rehabilitation Satisfaction. This construct is recognized as a multidimensional concept encompassing both cognitive appraisals and affective responses to the recovery process.

• Cognitive Appraisal: Reflected in items assessing satisfaction with the rate of progress and the length of time required for recovery.
• Affective Response: Reflected in items assessing enthusiasm for therapy sessions and general positivity about the rehabilitation experience.

While the construct is complex, the OSWRS is designed to capture the overarching, unitary sense of satisfaction with the process, making it highly relevant for intervention studies where the goal is to improve the patient experience.

Validity

Although detailed psychometric reports are primarily contained within the originating comprehensive thesis, the OSWRS demonstrated evidence of validity during its development.

The scale possesses strong Face Validity, as the items directly and clearly relate to common aspects of the rehabilitation experience (progress, time, enthusiasm). Furthermore, Construct Validity was supported by its intended use in measuring the effectiveness of psychological techniques (like healing imagery) designed to enhance patient buy-in and positive outlook during recovery from athletic injury. Scores on the OSWRS were expected to correlate logically with measures of therapy adherence and other psychological factors relevant to recovery.

Reliability

Internal consistency is the primary measure of reliability reported for scales of this nature. In the original research, the OSWRS demonstrated acceptable levels of internal consistency, typically measured using Cronbach’s alpha, confirming that the five items consistently measure the same underlying construct of satisfaction. This reliability ensures that the scale provides stable and consistent results when administered to individuals undergoing similar rehabilitation experiences.

Factor Analysis

The Overall Satisfaction with Rehabilitation Scale (OSWRS) is treated as a unidimensional instrument. This implies that the five items are designed to load onto a single factor representing overall satisfaction. Formal analysis, such as Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA), was likely conducted during the scale’s development to confirm this single-factor structure, supporting the use of a single summed score for interpretation. The unitary nature of the scale makes it highly efficient for clinical use where rapid, general assessment is needed.

Instrument

Test Type: Self-report questionnaire / Patient-reported outcome measure (PROM)

Format: 5 items, utilizing a 7-point Likert scale (1=Strongly disagree to 7=Strongly agree).

Language Available: English (original development language).

Population Group: Individuals engaged in physical or psychological rehabilitation programs.

Age Group: Typically utilized with adult populations (university students and athletes).

Population Details: Specifically validated and used within populations of athletes recovering from sports-related injuries.

Test Methodology: Scores are summed across the five items to yield a total score reflecting the respondent’s overall satisfaction with the rehabilitation process.

Keywords

Patient Experience, Outcome Measure, Sports Psychology, Healing Imagery, Recovery Process, Patient Engagement, Psychological Assessment.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not Provided

Affiliation Email addresses: Not Provided

Correspondence Address: Not Provided

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

Permissions: As the scale originates from a comprehensive university thesis, it is generally considered available for non-commercial academic research use, subject to appropriate citation of the original authors.

Fee: Not specified; typically free for academic use.

Test Year: 2010 (Year of thesis completion and scale introduction).

Reference’s

1. Cressman‚ Joel‚ “Evaluation of the Use of Healing Imagery in Athletic Injury Rehabilitation” (2010). Wilfrid Laurier University. Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive). Paper 996. The original PDF can be downloaded here: http://scholars.wlu.ca/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1995&context=etd.
2. Cressman‚ Joel M.‚ Dawson‚ Kimberley A. (2011). Evaluation of the Use of Healing Imagery in Athletic Injury Rehabilitation. Journal of Imagery Research in Sport and Physical Activity‚ 6(1)‚ doi.org/10.2202/1932-0191.1060.

Items of the Overall Satisfaction with Rehabilitation Scale (OSWRS)

Response Format: 1 (Strongly disagree) to 7 (Strongly agree)

• I feel my progress through rehabilitation has gone well
• I am satisfied with the length of time the recovery process is taking
• I am enthusiastic to attend therapy sessions
• I have felt positive about the rehabilitation process
• Overall‚ I am satisfied with the rehabilitation process