Abstract
Purpose :
Press Ganey (PG) patient satisfaction scores are increasingly used as measures of healthcare service quality. Previously, we determined that factors outside of providers’ control, such as race, could influence PG scores for the likelihood to recommend provider and practice. Here, we conducted a prospective study to further characterize the effect of race on PG measures related to clinic visits, namely wait time (WT) and time spent with provider (provider time, PT). We also investigated whether race influences the correlation between perceived and actual WT and PT.
Methods :
Patients were recruited from a single academic institution. Actual WT and PT were recorded during the clinic visit. After the encounter, each patient was asked to rank their satisfaction for their WT and PT on a scale of 1 (very poor) to 5 (very good) based on modified PG questions (perceived WT and PT). Frequency tables and analysis of variance were calculated to determine the correlation between race and PG scores for WT and PT, as well as between perceived versus actual WT and PT. Logistic regression models were performed to identify predictors of a score of 5 for WT (WT-5) and PT (PT-5), with p<0.05 indicating statistical significance.
Results :
A total of 244 patients were recruited for the study. Of these, 35% identified as Caucasian, 14% as Hispanic, 39% as Asian, and 12% as Other. Overall, actual WT was inversely associated with perceived WT, whereas actual PT was directly associated with perceived PT (Table 1). Asians were the least likely to give a score of 5 for WT and PT, and the most likely to give a score of 1 for WT and 2 for PT when compared to the other racial groups (WT p=0.19, PT p=0.05). After adjusting for potential confounders, the odds of WT-5 were lower in Asians (OR 0.55, 95% CI 0.29-10.36) and significantly higher in non-English speakers (OR 2.02, 95% CI 1.09-3.74). The odds of PT-5 were significantly lower in Asians (OR 0.51, 95% CI 0.29-0.88) and significantly higher in males (OR 1.82, 95% CI 1.06-3.11).
Conclusions :
Perceived WT and PT as measured by PG scores correlated very well indirectly and directly with actual WT and PT, respectively. Race appears to influence PG satisfaction scores, and may need to be accounted for in future evaluations of the effectiveness of PG in measuring healthcare quality.
This is an abstract that was submitted for the 2018 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Honolulu, Hawaii, April 29 - May 3, 2018.