[Do physicians know if their patients are satisfied? A study in general practice carried out by medical students]

A doctor's ability to assess to what degree his patients are satisfied may indicate how well the patient and the doctor communicate. The main intention of this study was to evaluate the doctor's ability to register a patient's level of satisfaction after a consultation. 19 doctors from six medical centres in Eastern Norway participated. In 50% of the 216 consultations the doctors were able to state exactly how satisfied the patients were. In most of the cases with a mismatch between the doctor's and his patient's ratings the patients were more satisfied than the doctors realized. In some of these cases, however, the doctors failed to observe that the patients were dissatisfied. Male doctors were able to state the patients' level of satisfaction more accurately than female doctors were. Doctors with more experience were also more accurate in their assessments. The method of research used in this area can be problematic. A more reliable and valid questionnaire should be developed.