Toward a theory of patient satisfaction with physiotherapy: exploring the concept of satisfaction

Patient satisfaction is increasingly seen as an important area of research because it has been found that satisfied patients are more likely to benefit from their health care. However, there has been comparatively little work in this field within physiotherapy. Eliciting patients' expectations and needs of their care and addressing these during treatment could not only influence their subsequent health-related behaviour but could also contribute to a more favourable evaluation of the whole therapeutic experience. While various determinants of satisfaction have been identified and examined in the literature, there has been little work to develop a theory to underpin the concept of satisfaction. Such a theory is important in physiotherapy because it can inform current practice and its evaluation and have implications for future patient care. In this article satisfaction with physiotherapy is defined on the basis of a review of the satisfaction literature in health care. A theory of patient satisfaction with physiotherapy is then developed by exploring the concepts of need and expectations that are proposed as being important determinants of the construct in relation to the physiotherapeutic approach to care, drawing on need theory and relevant social science and marketing theories.