Table 2

PCAS Scores by Patients’ Ethnicity/Race

	Score, Mean (SD)
Scale (α) and Description	Black	Latino	White
Subscale^a
Interpersonal treatment (α = .94); 5 items on the clinician’s patience, friendliness, caring, respect, and time spent with the patient	84 (19)	81^b (19)	86 (18)
Communication (α = .93); 6 items on the thoroughness of the clinician’s questions, attention to the patient, clarity of explanations and instructions, and help in making decisions about care	84 (18)	80^b (19)	84 (17)
Trust (α = .85); 8 items on the clinician’s integrity and role as the patient’s agent in the system	79^b (16)	76^b (15)	82 (15)
Contextual knowledge (α = .90); 5 items on the clinician’s knowledge of the patient’s medical history, life responsibilities, principal health concerns, and values and beliefs	75 (19)	73 (20)	74 (20)
Composite (α = .93); average of all 4 subscales weighted equally	80 (16)	78^b (17)	82 (16)

PCAS = Primary Care Assessment Survey.

Note: α is a measure of internal reliability.
↵a Each subscale is scored from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating a higher level of the attribute.
↵b Score is less than that for white patients, P <. 01.