Table 4.

Items Measuring Constructs That Are Inapplicable for Many Respondents

Original Wording	Revised Wording	Reason for Change
1. During your hospital stay, were you anxious or concerned about your illness or the effects of your treatment?	During this hospital stay, did you need any emotional support from doctors, nurses, or other hospital staff?	Follow-up item assumes that patients want to talk about anxieties. This proved to be incorrect
2. Did a doctor, nurse, or other hospital staff member talk with you about feeling anxious or concerned?	How often did doctors, nurses, or other hospital staff give you emotional support when you needed it?	Item assumes respondent wants to talk about anxieties
3. Was it easy to find a doctor, nurse, or other hospital staff member to talk to about feeling anxious or concerned?	Item deleted	Item assumes respondent wants to talk about anxieties
4. When you were admitted to the hospital, were there any unreasonable delays before you were taken to your room?	Item deleted	Inappropriate for subgroup (emergency room admits); time period prior to being taken to room is quite heterogeneous, and was not consistently interpreted as intended
5. How often did hospital staff respond quickly when you asked for pain medicine?	During this hospital stay, did you need medicine for pain?	Subgroup of patients did not need medicine for pain