Patient satisfaction with nurse practitioner care in primary care

Area of Science:

• Nursing Practice
• Patient Care Quality

Background:

• Patient satisfaction is a critical indicator of healthcare quality.
• Nurse practitioners (NPs) play an expanding role in primary care delivery.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess patient satisfaction with care provided by nurse practitioners.
• To identify specific areas of high and low patient satisfaction.

Main Methods:

• Quantitative, descriptive pilot study design.
• Utilized a modified Di Tomasso-Willard Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire.
• Data collected from patients receiving care from four nurse practitioners.

Main Results:

• High overall patient satisfaction reported across all NP groups.
• Significant differences in satisfaction noted on 26% of questionnaire items.
• Variations observed in three out of five satisfaction subscales.

Conclusions:

• While generally high, patient satisfaction with nurse practitioner care is not uniform.
• Nurse practitioners should focus on identifying and enhancing specific dimensions of care where satisfaction is lower.
• Targeted quality improvement initiatives can further elevate patient experiences.