Predictors of Patient Experience for 89,205 Physical and Occupational Therapy Patients Seen for Musculoskeletal Disorders: A Retrospective Cohort Study

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To identify predictors of patient experience among a cohort of 89,205 individuals who sought physical and occupational therapy services for musculoskeletal disorders. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort. METHODS: Patient experience was measured using a previously validated tool, the Select Medical Patient Reported Experience Measure (SM-PREM©), for physical and occupational therapy outpatient clinics. Linear and logistic regression models measured the association between demographic, clinical, and payment-related variables and SM-PREM© scores at discharge. RESULTS: Multiple variables that were statistically significantly associated with SM-PREM scores across regression analyses (p<0.05); 4 predictors consistently emerged from the regression analyses. The use of paper outcomes capture (OR=1.21, 95%CI 1.17, 1.26), higher cancellation rates (OR=1.00, 95%CI 1.00, 1.01), higher percent out-of-pocket costs (OR=1.00, 95%CI 1.00, 1.01), and failure to meet the outcomes MCID (OR=0.76, 95%CI 0.73, 0.78) were predictors of a less favorable patient experience. CONCLUSION: Outcome capture methods, managing cancellation rates, and addressing financial barriers were important for improving patient experiences. More research is needed to investigate the underlying mechanisms driving these associations, explore interventions to mitigate their negative impacts and consider additional variables that may further explain variations in SM-PREM scores.