Physician assistants positively affected patient satisfaction after outpatient surgery
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Results showed having a physician assistant in the outpatient clinic positively affected Press Ganey patient satisfaction outcomes and “may ultimately improve the perception of care” after outpatient orthopedic surgery.
Moritz J. Sharabianlou Korth, MD, and colleagues from the department of orthopedic surgery at Stanford University analyzed satisfaction scores from 11,059 patients who rated 24 orthopedic providers from an outpatient orthopedic surgery clinic of a single institution in 2013.
According to the study, practice-related parameters were collected from a provider-reported survey. Researchers used univariate logistic regression to determine any association between provider characteristics and the likelihood of receiving a five-star rating on a selection of 16 Press Ganey patient satisfaction questions.
Researchers found the presence of a physician assistant in the outpatient clinic positively affected five-star ratings for all but one of the 16 Press Ganey patient satisfaction questions, with 69% of patients giving a top overall rating for the care during their visit. Presence of a physician assistant improved overall satisfaction (OR = 1.38), the likelihood of being recommended to others (OR = 1.57) and friendliness/courtesy (OR = 1.58).
After analyzing the impact of other practice-related parameters, researchers found the presence of a fellow or nurse practitioner in the outpatient clinic, the treatment of children, productivity (measured as total relative value units), taking trauma calls and provider distance from home to clinic had no association with increased patient satisfaction.
“A patient-centered communication style is at the center of what patients perceive as a satisfying experience with their health care provider,” the researchers wrote in the study. “Having a physician assistant in the clinic is an actionable, practice-specific characteristic that positively affects patient satisfaction on many levels and may ultimately improve the perception of care,” they concluded.
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