title: Exploring patient satisfaction predictors in relation to a theoretical model.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim is to describe patients' care quality perceptions and satisfaction and to explore potential patient satisfaction predictors as person-related conditions, external objective care conditions and patients' perception of actual care received ("PR") in relation to a theoretical model.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional design was used. Data were collected using one questionnaire combining questions from four instruments: Quality from patients' perspective; Sense of coherence; Big five personality trait; and Emotional stress reaction questionnaire (ESRQ), together with questions from previous research. In total, 528 patients (83.7 per cent response rate) from eight medical, three surgical and one medical/surgical ward in five Norwegian hospitals participated. Answers from 373 respondents with complete ESRQ questionnaires were analysed. Sequential multiple regression analysis with ESRQ as dependent variable was run in three steps: person-related conditions, external objective care conditions, and PR (p < 0.05).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Step 1 (person-related conditions) explained 51.7 per cent of the ESRQ variance. Step 2 (external objective care conditions) explained an additional 2.4 per cent. Step 3 (PR) gave no significant additional explanation (0.05 per cent). Steps 1 and 2 contributed statistical significance to the model. Patients rated both quality-of-care and satisfaction highly.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The paper shows that the theoretical model using an emotion-oriented approach to assess patient satisfaction can explain 54 per cent of patient satisfaction in a statistically significant manner.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nursing, Karlstad University, Karlstad, Sweden. vigdis.a.grondahl@hiof.no
authors.forename: Vigdis Abrahamsen
authors.initials: VA
authors.lastname: Grøndahl
authors.forename: Marie Louise
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Hall-Lord
authors.forename: Ingela
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Karlsson
authors.forename: Jari
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Appelgren
authors.forename: Bodil
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Wilde-Larsson
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008603:Mental Health; D008875:Middle Aged; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D009664:Norway; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D010465:Perception; D010551:Personality; D011787:Quality of Health Care; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000453:epidemiology