A model of patients' satisfaction with treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder

There is little empirical knowledge about the contribution of treatment effectiveness to patient satisfaction, particularly in the area of mental health. We conducted this study to assess the satisfaction of 3,646 veterans who received treatment from March 1996-April 1997 at specialized inpatient and residential posttraumatic stress disorder programs at Departments of Veterans Affairs in 35 locations. We used structural equation modeling to evaluate and extend a model of connections among pretreatment characteristics, treatment structure, treatment effectiveness and patient satisfaction. The results suggest three implications for mental health administration and program planning: (1) any valid comparison of programs requires that differences in patient characteristics be taken into account, (2) satisfaction and effectiveness are largely separate indices of quality, and (3) shortening the length of stay to contain cost is likely to lower patient satisfaction.