Correlates of satisfaction for the relationship with their physician in type 2 diabetic patients.
In the context of an Italian nation-wide outcomes research program on type 2 diabetes, we investigated the contribution of both patient and setting-related factors to patient satisfaction with their relationship with their physicians. The level of patient satisfaction was measured using the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) 14 patient satisfaction questionnaire. The main results were obtained using multilevel analysis, a statistical technique that takes into account the clustered nature of our data. Overall, 3563 patients were recruited by 101 diabetologists and 103 general practitioners (GPs). Information on patients' satisfaction was available for 2515 patients (71% of the whole sample). Patients' satisfaction was related to patient characteristics and attitudes, but not with physician's sex, age, speciality, and setting of care. In particular, patients who were less likely to delegate to physicians responsibility for diabetes management and those perceiving a lower degree of involvement in disease management showed lower levels of satisfaction. Lower satisfaction scores were also related to lower levels of school education, more severe clinical conditions, and lower psychological adaptation to diabetes. However, patients reporting higher levels of diabetes related worries and more frequent encounters with health care providers showed higher levels of satisfaction. In conclusion, patient satisfaction with physicians' humanness and communication skills is strongly related to personal characteristics, attitudes, expectations, and perceived health. In deciding the best decision-making approach to adopt in individual patients, it is of primary importance to measure how the patient perceives and engages in relationships.
Franciosi
Monica
M
Department of Clinical Pharmacology and Epidemiology, Consorzio Mario Negri Sud, Via Nazionale, S. Maria Imbaro, CH 66030, Italy.
Pellegrini
Fabio
F
De Berardis
Giorgia
G
Belfiglio
Maurizio
M
Di Nardo
Barbara
B
Greenfield
Sheldon
S
Kaplan
Sherrie H
SH
Sacco
Michele
M
Tognoni
Gianni
G
Valentini
Miriam
M
Nicolucci
Antonio
A
D000368:Aged; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D011594:Psychometrics; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires