Patient satisfaction with and recommendation of a primary care provider: associations of perceived quality and patient education.

OBJECTIVE: To identify whether attributes of perceived clinic quality and patient education are associated with patient satisfaction and recommendation of a primary care provider.
DESIGN: Data used in this study were obtained through a national telephone survey by random sampling.
SETTING: Clinics throughout Taiwan. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 1910 patients. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Overall patient satisfaction and recommendation were measured by single item questions. Attributes of clinic quality were measured using 11 items: doctor's technical skill (four items), doctor's interpersonal skill (three items), staff care and access (four items). Patient education was measured on the basis of education provided on disease prevention and control during the visit.
RESULTS: With regard to clinic quality, doctor's technical skill was most related to overall satisfaction and recommendation, followed by doctor's interpersonal skill. Staff care and access were associated with overall satisfaction but were not associated with recommendation. Patient education was related to both overall satisfaction and recommendation.
CONCLUSION: Doctor's technical skill is the most critical attribute of primary care quality for both overall satisfaction and recommendation, followed by doctor's interpersonal skill. Staff care and access are associated with improved overall satisfaction but not related to increasing the likelihood of recommending a clinic to relatives and friends. Doctor's technical and interpersonal skills rather than staff care and access can be the essence of quality competition in the primary care market. Providing patient education during the visit on how to prevent or control diseases may also relate to improved patient satisfaction and recommendation.