A suggested revision of the Ward Atmosphere Scale

Objective: In a previous study, we have suggested a revision of the Anger/Aggression and the Spontaneity subscales. The main aim of this study was to re-evaluate the psychometric properties of the other eight subscales of the Ward Atmosphere Scale. Method: A total of 550 patients and 822 staff members on 54 psychiatric wards for psychotic patients completed the WAS and the Good Milieu Index (GMI). We calculated Cronbach's alpha, the Corrected Item Total subscale Correlation, subscale intercorrelations and the correlation between subscales and GMI. Results: By removing a total of 16 items, the psychometric properties improved. The revised subscales had acceptable psychometrics and gave a clearer picture of the relationship between the perceived level of patient satisfaction and the WAS subscale scores. Conclusion: The revision suggested in this study 'modernized' several of the subscales. We suggest that this revision is implemented in the future use of the WAS.