Differences in Patient and Provider Assessments of Satisfaction Associated with Treatment Modality.

Abstract : Differences between family practice and nonfamily practice health care service delivery have been characterized in terms of patient satisfaction. Since health care providers guide their behaviors on the basis of conceptions of what is satisfying for patients, a clarification of the degree of congruence between patient self-reports and provider impressions seemed appropriate. Responses to four patient satisfaction measures were obtained from 136 providers and 1,735 patients in both family practice and nonfamily practice locations. Results of separate multiple discriminant analyses conducted between settings for both provider and patient groups indicated that providers emphasized trust and range of services as hallmarks of family oriented care. Patients, alternatively, emphasized accessibility of services, while range of services was not relevant to differentiating between treatment modalities.