Patient satisfaction with physician care.

Patient satisfaction is known to be related to many desired outcomes in medical care. This study employees multidimensional scaling techniques to identify factors affecting satisfaction with physician care in 1,210 patients. Stepwise regression analysis of factors that met predetermined criteria showed that accessibility explained the greatest amount of variance in patient satisfaction. The patient's perceived efficacy of physician care and greater continuity of care also have significant correlations with satisfaction. Perceived susceptibility to illness, utilization of physician services, and levels of education have lesser but significant effects on patient satisfaction. Despite methodological constraints, economic and psychological benefits make evaluation of patient satisfaction an important exercise.