Measuring Patient Satisfaction for Quality Improvement

Bibliographic Data

ID9105044
AuthorsLisa E Harris (0000-0003-0157-6848, Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis, corresponding author), Ralph W Swindle, Ralph Swindle (0000-0002-6311-8546, Regenstrief Institute, corresponding author), Simon M Mungai, Morris Weinberger (Regenstrief Institute, corresponding author), William M Tierney (0000-0002-3379-3014, Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis, corresponding author)
Year1999
Volume37
Issue12
Pages1207-1213
Publication date1999-12-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueMedical Care (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0025-7079 • E-ISSN: 1537-1948
PublisherOvid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1097/00005650-199912000-00004
PMID10599602
OpenAlexW2335773838
LanguageEN
Citations received9
References cited10

BACKGROUND: Surveys used for health plan quality reporting are generally administered annually to health plan enrollees to assess satisfaction with both the health plan and health care services. Therefore, surveys may lack sensitivity to measure the effects of patient-focused, quality improvement initiatives that could demonstrate results in a shorter time period. OBJECTIVES: We describe the development and testing of a multidimensional, visit-specific measure of satisfaction with primary care that may be used in quality improvement. METHODS: Conducted in five adult and pediatric primary care sites serving a commercial, largely managed-care population, the survey includes the Medical Outcomes Study Visit-Specific Questionnaire, the American Board of Internal Medicine Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire, and locally developed items. We assessed the instrument's reliability, validity, and utility for quality improvement. RESULTS: For both adult and pediatric samples, three factors emerged: satisfaction with the provider, satisfaction with access, and satisfaction with the office. Satisfaction with the provider and with the office were independently correlated with overall satisfaction in both samples; satisfaction with access was significantly correlated with overall satisfaction only for adults. For adults, patients who disenrolled from the health plan were less satisfied with the office compared with patients who remained with the health plan. Finally, for adults, we detected significant differences across practice sites in terms of satisfaction with office and access; for children, there were intersite differences in terms of satisfaction with provider, office, and access. CONCLUSIONS: We have support for the reliability and validity of this instrument that has identified differences in satisfaction between practice sites that may be used for quality improvement

Business · MEDLINE · Patient satisfaction · Political science · Quality (philosophy) · Quality management · Marketing · Medicine · Nursing · Patient Satisfaction in Healthcare · Patient-Provider Communication in Healthcare · Primary Care and Health Outcomes