Patients with traumatic spinal cord injuries and their satisfaction with their general practitioner

Abstract

The objective of this study was to examine how satisfied patients with traumatic spinal cord injury (TSCI) are with their general practitioners (GP). The study included patients with TSCI, injured in the period 1982-2001 and living in western Norway. We performed a structured telephonic interview of the patients in the period 2004-2007. A total of 105 (59.3%) patients participated. Patients with TSCI were in general satisfied with their GP. Older patients were most satisfied, and patients with incomplete thoracic SCI were least satisfied. Patients with anxiety and/or depression reported low satisfaction with their GP on several parameters. Patients with incomplete SCI were least satisfied probably because their physicians do not acknowledge their complicated medical complaints and do not meet the patient's expectations. Patients with anxiety and/or depression were more likely to report low satisfaction with their GP.