Patient satisfaction in General Practice: Changes over 30 years

Overview

The dissertation aimed to review and replicate:

• the patient satisfaction work that was started by Cartwright and Anderson in 1964
• which was repeated by Prof Richard Baker in 1994

Andrew completed a literature review and analysed a database of nearly half a million survey forms, looking at responses based on age and ethnicity.

Conclusions

• patient satisfaction rates remain high and increase slightly over time
• patients express a preference for smaller and more personal practices
• which is the inverse of the initiatives for larger poly clinics suggested by the Darzi review
• patient satisfaction rates are unlikely to be a reliable indicator of the health of General Practice
• any financial incentives offered to improve ‘patient satisfaction’ need to be considered carefully