Incorporating Patient Satisfaction Metrics in Assessing Multidisciplinary Breast Cancer Care Quality

The Medical University of South Carolina implemented a patient-centered multidisciplinary breast clinic program (MDBC) in August 2012. In this study, patient satisfaction with the MDBC care delivery model and communication with healthcare providers was examined to inform the refinement of the MDBC program.

During the first 10 months of the MDBC, patients were asked to complete a 14-question postconsultation telephone survey. A statistical analysis was performed to explore potential associations between age, race, and stage with overall patient satisfaction scores.

Overall, patients (N = 52, 56% white, 42% African American, 2% Hispanic; mean age 61 years) rated the quality of care highly (mean 4.7, range [1 = poor to 5 = excellent]) and felt comfortable with their plan of care (mean 1.63, range [1 = extremely comfortable to 5 = not at all comfortable]). No statistically significant differences in overall satisfaction were found by age, race, or stage; however, patient responses were commonly not optimal (ie, either "no" or "yes, but not as much as I would like") when asked if the care team addressed the impact of their diagnosis on personal relationships (40.4%) or emotional health (28.9%).

Patients were highly satisfied with the care they received in the MDBC program. Findings suggest that this model is well suited to a diverse patient population and have highlighted quality improvement targets such as increased emphasis on providers' communication about psychosocial issues.