Patient satisfaction with primary-care consultations

This study examines patients' perceptions of their latest consultation with a primary-care physician. A new questionnaire measured patients' views on their "ideal" physician prior to the visit and their satisfaction on similar dimensions immediately afterward. Ratings by the 503 eligible patients (87% response rate) showed that all 43 items were relevant and that a shortened version could also be used successfully. Patients held high expectations for, but were also quite satisfied with, their physicians' actual behavior during the consultation. Factor analysis of perceptions supported other research findings and raised some anomalies in relation to overordering of investigations and waiting time. Other analyses showed which characteristics of physicians and patients were most influential on satisfaction and which dimensions of care were common or distinct to the 22 physicians involved in this study.