Quality management in professional medical practices: are there effects on patient satisfaction?

Abstract

It is possible to quantify the impact of medical care in specialised medical centers by measuring patient satisfaction. Modern quality management systems use this process as a part of result evaluation in the practice. This study describes an investigation of the influence of quality-management measures on patient satisfaction in ten specialist medical practices. One hundred patient questionnaires were issued between 2010 and 2011 in ten medical specialists practices before and after improvement of the quality management system. The evaluation of the patients were analysed using a Utest. By correlation analysis correlations between specific quality management activities and items of the patient questionnaire were identified. The results of the study indicate a generally positive reaction of patients to the improvement in the quality management of selected items. But in the totality of all practices, no clear improvement in patient satisfaction could be measured. There were weak but statistically significant correlations between specific quality-management-measure improvements and improvement of the patient questionnaire items identified. No significant improvements in patient satisfaction, which can be attributed directly to improvements in quality management, have been found by the study. But there were clues to correlations of specific quality-improvements and patient satisfaction issues. These can be used for directed quality management measures in practice and as a controlling tool of practice management regarding the evaluation of patients inside and on on-line doctor review sites.