Older patient satisfaction with communication during an initial medical encounter

There has been extensive research on the factors associated with patient satisfaction with communication during medical encounters, however, little attention has been paid to satisfaction among subgroups of patients, including the elderly. It is inappropriate to assume that all patients have the same physician-patient relationship needs, and thus, they will all be satisfied with the same communication approaches during medical visits. In this study, we examine the interactional correlates of older patient satisfaction with an initial visit with a general internist. A multidisciplinary team composed of social scientists and physicians used the Multi-dimensional Interaction Analysis system to code audiotapes. Patients and physicians completed post-visit satisfaction questionnaires. Older patient satisfaction was positively correlated with the following variables: physician questioning and supportiveness on patient-raised topics; patient information-giving on patient-raised topics; the length of the visit; the physician's use of questions worded in the negative; shared laughter between the physician and the patient; and physician satisfaction. These findings suggest that older patients prefer encounters in which: (1) there is physician supportiveness and shared laughter; (2) they are questioned about and given an opportunity to provide information on their own agenda items; and (3) physicians provide some structure for the first meeting through their use of questions worded in the negative. The authors caution that although this sample of older patients appears to be satisfied with a communication style usually considered characteristic of the traditional model of the physician-patient relationship (i.e. a warm interpersonal style and physician-generated structure for the visit), older patients in other settings and future cohorts of elderly patients may prefer other communication approaches. It is also suggested that aspects of communication which provide satisfaction to patients in first visits may be different than aspects of communication associated with patient satisfaction in follow-up visits.