Patient expectation: what is comprehensive health care?

A patient expectation survey was developed and implemented in order to define the spectrum of health care activities expected from the University of Nebraska Family Health Centers. The hypothesis underlying the survey is that patient expectations or opinions vary considerably among the members of any given population. High expectation is present for office visits, emergency services, yearly physical examination, and performance of chest x-ray, blood test, proctoscopy, and eye examination. Psychiatric services, marital counseling, youth counseling, nursing home care, and health education are indicated as not necessary by a plurality of the respondents. Examination of the responses by age, sex, and payment status through canonical correlation reveals a number of strong correlations of specific subgroups and expectations. Factor analysis revealed three independent factors or clusters representating health care issues as perceived by the patient. This study and further similar studies will be helpful in aiding the family physician's understanding of what patients expect. Through a better understanding of patient expectation, patient satisfaction and compliance may be improved.