Functional status and patient satisfaction: a comparison of ischemic heart disease, obstructive lung disease, and diabetes mellitus

• Published in: Journal of general internal medicine : JGIM 2005-05, Vol.20 (5), p.452-459
• Main Authors: Fan, Vincent S, Reiber, Gayle E, Diehr, Paula, Burman, Marcia, McDonell, Mary B, Fihn, Stephan D
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adaptation, Psychological; Aged; Ambulatory care; Angina; Angina pectoris; Cardiovascular disease; Cardiovascular diseases; Chronic conditions; Chronic Disease; Chronic illnesses; Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; Communication skills; Comorbidity; Coronary artery disease; Cross-Sectional Studies; Diabetes; Diabetes mellitus; Diabetes Mellitus - therapy; Dyspnea; Education; Emergency medical services; Female; Health care; Health care facilities; Health Status; Heart diseases; Hospitals; Hospitals, Veterans - standards; Humans; Internal medicine; Internal Medicine - standards; Ischemia; Linear Models; Lung diseases; Lung Diseases, Obstructive - therapy; Male; Medicine; Middle Aged; Mini-Symposium on Diabetes: Original; Myocardial Ischemia - therapy; Obstructive lung disease; Outpatient Clinics, Hospital - standards; Patient education; Patient Education as Topic; Patient satisfaction; Patient Satisfaction - statistics & numerical data; Patients; Primary care; Primary Health Care - standards; Quality control; Quality of Health Care; Questionnaires; Respiration; Surveys and Questionnaires; United States
• ISSN: 0884-8734; 1525-1497
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1525-1497.2005.40057.x

To determine the extent to which chronic illness and disease severity affect patient satisfaction with their primary care provider in general internal medicine clinics. Cross-sectional mailed questionnaire study. Primary care clinics at 7 Veterans Affairs medical centers. Of 62,487 patients participating in the Ambulatory Care Quality Improvement Project, 35,383 (57%) returned an initial screening questionnaire and were subsequently sent a satisfaction questionnaire. Patients (N=21,689; 61%) who returned the Seattle Outpatient Satisfaction Survey (SOSQ) were included in the final analysis, representing 34% of the original sample. The organizational score of the SOSQ measures satisfaction with health care services in the internal medicine clinic, and the humanistic scale measures patient satisfaction with the communication skills and humanistic qualities of the primary care physician. For ischemic heart disease (IHD), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and diabetes, patient ability to cope with their disease was more strongly associated with patient satisfaction than disease severity. Among IHD patients, improvement in ability to cope emotionally with their angina was associated with higher SOSQ organizational scores (standardized beta=0.18; P