Table 2.
. Knowledge and perception of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) precautions: questionnaire and results of survey
| Domains and items | Response categories (n = 149) | Mean† | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strongly disagree (%) | Disagree (%) | Agree (%) | Strongly agree (%) | ||
| General questions about SARS knowledge | |||||
| Q31: I have heard about SARS. | 0.0 | 2.7 | 70.1 | 27.2 | NA |
| Q32: I have heard that the National University Hospital is taking precautions to prevent the spread of SARS. | 0.7 | 2.7 | 66.7 | 29.9 | NA |
| Q33: I believe that there may be a risk of contracting SARS when I visit the Radiotherapy Centre. | 4.1 | 42.1 | 46.9 | 6.9 | NA |
| Q34: I am more careful in my everyday life due to the SARS outbreak in Singapore. | 25.9 | 71.4 | 2.0 | 0.7 | NA |
| Satisfaction with SARS precautions | 3.09 | ||||
| Q35: I am satisfied about having my temperature checked each day when entering the Radiotherapy Centre. | 0.0 | 3.4 | 72.4 | 24.1 | 3.21 |
| Q36: I am satisfied about wearing a mask at all times while in the Radiotherapy Centre. | 0.7 | 3.4 | 74.1 | 21.8 | 3.17 |
| Q37: I am satisfied that there are restrictions on friendsor relatives entering the Radiotherapy Centre with me. | 2.1 | 9.6 | 72.6 | 15.8 | 3.02 |
| Q38: I am satisfied about the doctor wearing a mask, gown, gloves and goggles when seeing me. | 1.4 | 1.4 | 67.8 | 29.5 | 3.25 |
| Q39: I am satisfied about the nurses and therapists wearing masks, gowns, gloves and goggles when attending me. | 0.7 | 2.7 | 64.4 | 32.2 | 3.28 |
| Q40: I am satisfied that access to my own specialist consultant doctor may be less due to the SARS precautions. | 0.7 | 22.7 | 66.0 | 10.6 | 2.87 |
| Q41: I believe the SARS precautions being taken by the Radiotherapy Centre are necessary. | 0.0 | 7.6 | 58.6 | 33.8 | 3.26 |
| Q42: I am satisfied that there may be a delay in being seen by my doctor because of the SARS precautions. | 1.4 | 18.5 | 63.0 | 17.1 | 2.96 |
| Q43: The SARS precautions that the Radiotherapy Centre is taking have made me less satisfied with my doctor–patient interaction. | 7.7 | 69.2 | 18.9 | 4.2 | 2.80 |
| Open‐ended question s | |||||
| Q44: What other factors have positively affected your doctor–patient interaction? Please list. | |||||
| Q45: What other factors have negatively affected your doctor–patient interaction? Please list. | |||||
†
Mean of transformed scores, so that for each question (whether positively or negatively framed) a high score is equivalent to higher satisfaction.
NA, not applicable.