Congruent satisfaction: is there geographic correlation between patient and physician satisfaction?
BACKGROUND
Satisfaction among both physicians and patients is optimal for the delivery of high-quality healthcare. Although some links have been drawn between physician and patient satisfaction, little is known about the degree of satisfaction congruence among physicians and patients living and working in geographic proximity to each other.


OBJECTIVE
We sought to identify patients and physicians from similar geographic sites and to examine how closely patients' satisfaction with their overall healthcare correlates with physicians' overall career satisfaction in each selected site.


METHODS
We undertook a cross-sectional analysis of data from 3 rounds of the Community Tracking Study (CTS) Household and Physician Surveys (1996-1997, 1998-1999, 2000-2001), a nationally representative telephone survey of patients and physicians. We studied randomly selected participants in the 60 CTS communities for a total household population of 179,127 patients and a total physician population of 37,238. Both physicians and patients were asked a variety of questions pertaining to satisfaction.


RESULTS
Satisfaction varied by region but was closely correlated between physicians and patients living in the same CTS sites. Physician career satisfaction was more strongly correlated with patient overall healthcare satisfaction than any of the other aspects of the healthcare system (Spearman's rank correlation coefficient 0.628, P<0.001). Patient trust in the physician was also highly correlated with physician career satisfaction (0.566, P<0.001).


CONCLUSIONS
Despite geographic variation, there is a strong correlation between physician and patient satisfaction living in similar geographic locations. Further analysis of this congruence and examination of areas of incongruence between patient and physician satisfaction may aid in improving the healthcare system.
DeVoe
Jennifer
J
Department of Family Medicine, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, Oregon 97239, and Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Health Policy & Clinical Effectiveness, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. devoej@ohsu.edu
Fryer
George E
GE
Straub
Alton
A
McCann
Jessica
J
Fairbrother
Gerry
G
D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D006801:Humans; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States