The Relationship between Doctor Communication and Patient Satisfaction in ICUs and PCUs
Date of Conferral
11-2-2023
Degree
Doctor of Healthcare Administration (D.H.A.)
School
Health Services
Advisor
Donna Clews
Abstract
The relationship between doctor communication and patient satisfaction is understudied, and there is little information concerning Intensive Care Units (ICUs) and Progressive Care Units (PCUs), where doctors interact with more complex patients. Effective doctor-patient communication improves patient satisfaction and hospital ratings from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS). Medicare's Hospital Value-Based Purchasing (VBP) Program evaluates and reimburses hospitals based on HCAHPS patient satisfaction surveys. The purpose of this retrospective quasi-experimental quantitative study was to examine the relationship between doctor communication and patient satisfaction of ICUs and PCUs in five central and eastern hospitals of a large healthcare system located in the Southeastern United States. The Donabedian structure-process-outcome theoretical framework was used in this study where structural factors (ICUs and PCUs) affect care processes (doctor communication), which affect health status outcomes (patient satisfaction). An ordinal logistic regression analysis of two research questions revealed a statistically significant relationship between doctor communication performance and patient satisfaction as measured by HCAHPS for ICUs and PCUs. Recommendations for future research include expanding into all hospital-based units and other hospital-based physician groups. This study may influence hospital best practices and enhance doctor communication tools to improve patient satisfaction. This study can potentially affect positive social change by enhancing the knowledge about doctor communication and its relationship to patient satisfaction.
Recommended Citation
Woodruff, Amy C., "The Relationship between Doctor Communication and Patient Satisfaction in ICUs and PCUs" (2023). Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies. 15075.
https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/15075
