PATIENT SATISFACTION WITH TIME SPENT WITH THEIR PHYSICIAN

BACKGROUND. We examined the variables related to patient satisfaction with the time spent with their family physician during the office visi t. METHODS. Research nurses directly observed consecutive patient visi ts to 138 family physicians in 84 practices. Analyses examined sequent ial models of the association of patient and physician characteristics , visit type and length, and time use during visits, with patients' sa tisfaction with the amount of time spent with their physician. RESULTS . Among 2315 visits by adult patients returning questionnaires, patien t satisfaction with the time spent with their physician was high and s trongly linked to longer visits (P <.001). After controlling for visit duration, greater patient satisfaction with time spent was associated with older patient age, white race, better perceived health status, v isits for well care, and visits with a greater proportion of the visit spent chatting. The physician's discussion of test results or finding s from the physical examination was associated with greater satisfacti on with time spent for visits longer than 15 minutes, but with less sa tisfaction with time spent for shorter visits. CONCLUSIONS. Physicians can enhance patient satisfaction with the amount of time spent during an office visit by spending a small proportion of time chatting about nonmedical topics, and by allowing sufficient time for exchange with the patient if feedback is necessary.