title: Personal assistance for people with physical disabilities: consumer-direction and satisfaction with services.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine whether people who receive consumer-directed personal assistance services (PAS) are more satisfied with the services they receive than those receiving PAS that are not consumer-directed.
  
  
  METHODS
  A quasi-experimental survey comparison of long-term outcomes among people receiving consumer-directed PAS in Virginia and persons on the waiting list to receive those services. Surveys were conducted by mail and telephone.
  
  
  METHODS
  The general community in Virginia.
  
  
  METHODS
  Ninety-two Virginia residents with physical disabilities living in the community. Sixty individuals were receiving consumer-directed PAS, and 32 were on the waiting list for consumer-directed PAS and were receiving paid personal assistance that was not consumer-directed.
  
  
  METHODS
  The Personal Assistance Satisfaction Index (PASI); chi2 and t tests were conducted.
  
  
  RESULTS
  People receiving consumer-directed PAS scored significantly higher on the PASI than the waiting-list control group and were consistently more likely to report high levels of satisfaction on the majority of individual PASI items.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Consumer-directed PAS are associated with high levels of satisfaction relative to PAS that are not consumer-directed. Individual PASI items related to control over PAS and flexibility of services showed the greatest differences in satisfaction.
authors.affiliation: National Rehabilitation Hospital Research Center, Washington, DC 20010, USA.
authors.forename: P W
authors.initials: PW
authors.lastname: Beatty
authors.forename: G W
authors.initials: GW
authors.lastname: Richmond
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tepper
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: DeJong
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000328:Adult; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D006233:Persons with Disabilities / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006302:Health Services Research; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D010358:Patient Participation; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D010548:Personal Health Services / Q000191:economics / Q000592:standards*; D015397:Program Evaluation; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014768:Virginia