To accommodate, or not to accommodate: Exploring patient satisfaction with doctors’ accommodative behavior during the clinical encounter

Abstract

This study examined how patients’ perceptions of doctors’ accommodative behaviors impact patient satisfaction with the direct clinical encounter. We used Communication Accommodation Theory (CAT) as a theoretical framework to specifically explore and compare the level of patient satisfaction when patients viewed doctors employed communication accommodation goals and strategies that converge and diverge during the clinical encounter. A total of 306 patients in primary care clinics in Appalachian Ohio were surveyed using existing questionnaire and scale to measure their perceptions of doctors’ display of accommodative behavior and satisfaction with the direct clinical encounter. ANOVA tests did not find any difference among the items related to doctors’ communication accommodation goals and patient satisfaction with the direct clinical encounter. However, differences were found in the items related to doctors’ communication accommodation strategies that converge and diverge and patient satisfaction with the direct clinical encounter. These findings suggest that patient satisfaction with direct clinical encounter is subject to perceived levels of doctors’ use of CAT strategies of convergence and divergence. For instance, patients were less satisfied when doctors were perceived to use convergent CAT strategies. Patients were less satisfied when doctors were perceived to be too divergent or not at all. However, patients were more satisfied when doctors were perceived to diverge moderately. Implications are discussed for doctor–patient communication and patient satisfaction.