Trauma patient satisfaction with physician assistants: testing a structural equation model.

OBJECTIVE: Physician assistants (PAs) are increasingly utilized in the health care workforce and should be aware of how their interpersonal and technical skills are perceived by patients. The purpose of this study was to test associations among Perceived Interpersonal Care, Perceived Technical Care, and Global Satisfaction.
METHODS: This cross-sectional telephone survey of recently discharged trauma patients tested a structural equation model which hypothesized that interpersonal satisfaction ratings predicted technical care and global satisfaction ratings.
RESULTS: A total of 251 completed surveys were analyzed. Results indicated a relationship among interpersonal care, technical care, and global satisfaction. Satisfaction with interpersonal care predicted satisfaction with technical care.
CONCLUSION: In this study of how satisfied recently discharged trauma patients are with care by physician assistants, perceptions of technical care were associated with perceptions of interpersonal care, or how the patient was treated as a person. Since physician assistants have direct patient contact, this association demonstrates the strength of the PA-patient relationship as an asset to the health care organization.