Association Between Patient-Reported Enablement and Customer Satisfaction in 140 055 Primary Care Patients After Doctor Appointment

Abstract

Customer satisfaction and enablement are key facets of healthcare quality. We examined their interplay within a large sample of predominantly working-age primary care patients. Our dataset encompasses 140 055 customer satisfaction reports, with concurrently gathered measures of patient enablement, delivered after doctor appointments. We used the customer satisfaction (CSAT) score and the patient enablement instrument (PEI). Additionally, we assessed 3 dimensions of customer satisfaction in conjunction with the CSAT score and calculated a sum score. Age and gender were included as covariates. Our findings from linear regression analyses are twofold: (1) customer satisfaction and enablement are interconnected, yet they maintain a degree of distinctiveness, as indicated by a beta coefficient of 0.45 on a 5-point scale, and (2) within the customer experience on a dichotomous scale, negative experiences exert a more substantial impact (betas between −0.77 and −0.97) on enablement than positive experiences (betas between 0.24 and 0.40). In addition, a dose–response relationship was observed between the sum of customer experiences and PEI. Ensuring that patients’ voices are acknowledged, their queries are addressed, and they have comprehensible guidance regarding the progression of their treatment, are fundamental aspects of interactions with patients.