Patient and provider satisfaction in Navy family practice and non-family practice clinics

Abstract

Differences between family practice and non-family practice health care service delivery have been characterized in terms of patient satisfaction. As health care providers may often behave according to their conceptions of what is satisfying for patients, a clarification of the degree of congruence between patient self-reports and provider impressions is needed. Responses to four patient satisfaction scales were obtained from 136 providers and 1,735 patients in both family practice and non-family practice Navy clinics. Results of separate multiple discriminant analyses conducted between settings for both provider and patient groups indicated that providers emphasized trust and range of services as hallmarks of family-oriented care. Patients, alternatively, emphasized accessibility of services, whereas range of services was not relevant to differentiating between treatment modalities.