The influence of ethnicity on patient satisfaction

To investigate the influence of ethnicity on patient satisfaction with hospitalization care.

We conducted a random selection, cross-sectional study. Data were collected by telephone interviews over a three-year period utilizing a 16-question survey. Patients were excluded from the study if they were admitted for an obstetric visit, physical rehabilitation, or psychiatric illness or if we were unable to reach them by telephone. We used logistic regression to compare ethnicity with the responses for each of the 16 questions while controlling for three confounders (age, gender, and insurance status). For each question, patient responses of excellent and very good were considered satisfied. Patient responses of good, fair, and poor were considered not satisfied.

We surveyed 7,795 patients. Compared to African-Americans, non-Hispanic white Americans were significantly older, included more males, and were insured by Medicaid less often (p < 0.05). Using multivariate analysis, we found that seven of the 16 questions exhibited significant satisfaction differences. African-Americans expressed significantly less satisfaction for two of six questions related to nursing care, two of three questions related to entire staff care, one of two question related to physician care, and one of three questions related to overall satisfaction (p < 0.05). However, African-Americans expressed significantly more satisfaction for one question related to nursing care. There was no difference between the two groups for nine of the 16 questions, including both questions regarding communication and coordination.

African-Americans reported significantly lower rates of satisfaction compared to non-Hispanic white Americans for six of 16 questions regarding satisfaction during hospitalization care.