Patient satisfaction in a nurse-led rheumatology clinic

Patient satisfaction with a nurse-led rheumatology clinic was tested using the Leeds Satisfaction Questionnaire (LSQ), which was specially developed and shown to be both reliable (Cronbach's alpha, 0.96) and stable (test-re-test r = 0.83). A total of 70 patients with rheumatoid arthritis, aged 22-75 years were randomly allocated to either a nurse's or a rheumatologist's clinic and seen on six occasions over a year. They completed the LSQ on entry and on completion of the study. At week 0 both groups were satisfied with their care and there were no significant differences between them. By week 48 the medical cohort showed significantly increased satisfaction with access and continuity (P < 0.05) but no change in overall satisfaction. The patients in the nurse-led clinic recorded significant increases in overall satisfaction and in all subscales (P < 0.0001). Between-group comparison at week 48 showed the nurse's patients to be significantly more satisfied than those of the rheumatologist.