Incorporating patient satisfaction metrics in assessing multidisciplinary breast cancer care quality.

Abstract

151 Background: The Medical University of South Carolina implemented a “patient-centered” multidisciplinary breast clinic program (MDBC) in August 2012. The structure of this care model facilitates a coordinated set of specialist visits, diagnostic studies, and care plan development on the day of initial consultation. In this study, we examined patient satisfaction with MDBC care delivery and communication with health care providers to inform the refinement of the MDBC program. Methods: During the first 10 months of the MDBC, patients were asked to complete a post-consultation telephone survey assessing overall satisfaction with care quality and the MDBC clinical team as well as satisfaction with various aspects of the MDBC model (e.g., time, explanation of treatment options, communication about practical and psychosocial factors). A statistical analysis was performed to explore potential associations between age (linear regression), race (Wilcoxon rank sum test), and stage (Fisher's exact test) with overall patient satisfaction scores. Results: Overall, patients (N=52, 56% W, 42% AA, 2% H; mean age=61 yrs) were highly satisfied with the MDBC consultation visit (mean=4.7, range 1-5), felt comfortable with their plan of care (mean= 4.4, range 1-5) and were satisfied with explanations about the cancer and treatment options (mean=3.7, range 1-4). Communication with treatment staff was scored highly. No statistically significant differences in overall satisfaction were found by age, race, or stage. However, patient responses were commonly “No” or “Yes, but not as much as I would like,” when asked if the care team addressed the impact of their diagnosis on their personal relationships (40.4%) or emotional health (28.9%). Conclusions: Results demonstrate that patients were highly satisfied with the care they received in the MDBC program. Participants were highly satisfied with practical care delivery factors such as time spent with clinical team and physician-patient communication. Findings suggest that this model is well suited to a diverse patient population and have highlighted potential quality improvement targets such as increased emphasis on provider's communication about psychosocial issues.