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Time spent with physician is strongest predictor of patient satisfaction

Physician Practice Advisor, March 7, 2007

The amount of time a patient spends with his or her primary care physician is the strongest predictor of patient satisfaction, according to a study conducted by BMC Health Services Research.

Researchers collected data from more than 5,000 patients who rated their physicians based on wait times and time spent with their doctor. Although long wait times were associated with a decrease in patient satisfaction, researchers found that increased time spent with a physician could negate some of the decreases in patient satisfaction caused by a long wait.

"These results suggest that shortening patient waiting times at the expense of time spent with the patient to improve patient satisfaction scores would be counter-productive," researchers wrote.

Click here for more information about the study.

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