Positive Patient Experiences at Sexual Assault Centers Are Associated with Service-Level Factors: A Multicenter...

IntroductionSexual Assault Centers (SACs) were established in several countries to improve access to more specialized and comprehensive services for people exposed to sexual assault. Although previous studies indicate that patients overall are satisfied with the service, there is limited knowledge about which factors are essential for a positive patient experience. This study investigated the associations between patient experiences of interpersonal care during the initial acute phase of care at Norwegian SACs and system-, service-, and individual-level characteristics.MethodsIn a non-probability sample of N = 247 SAC patients (99% female, mean age 25,95 years, SD 8.02), we used linear regression analyses to investigate whether patient experience was associated with system level characteristics (e.g. size, turnover and follow-up routines), service level characteristics (e.g. shared decision-making and follow-up routines) and with patient and assault characteristics (e.g. age, victimization history, relationship to the perpetrator).ResultsResults indicate that patients reported overall positive experiences with the centers at the acute consultation, as measured by a seven-item composite patient-experience scale. Mean scores for the seven patient experience items were high (4.25-4.46 on a 1-5 scale), with low variability across items (SD 0.82-0.93) and an overall mean score of 4.39. Patient experience with SAC was significantly associated with service-level factors: patients' perception of having enough time to talk to the staff, being involved in choosing which examinations to carry out and receiving a follow-up appointment. No significant associations were found with system or individual level characteristics.ConclusionBased on the specific patient experience items used in this study, the findings suggest that sufficient time for consultations, involvement in decision-making, and follow-up were associated with how patients perceived their care at SACs.