Abstract
Purpose of review
This is a literature review of the measurement of patient satisfaction in musculoskeletal medicine. Its purpose is to better understand the motivation for such measurements, the potential confounders, and the potential physician behaviors that may modulate such measures.
Recent findings
There have been studies documenting that physician conveyance of empathy, the extent to which patients’ expectations for pain control and timeliness of care are met, as well as patient demographics and health status all affect the current measures of patient satisfaction.
Summary
In the mission to affect patient-centered care are met, musculoskeletal providers will be measured by their patients’ satisfaction. There is much yet to be understood regarding patients’ expectations of care; the science behind case-mix adjustment in this sphere is in its infancy, but there are some compelling reasons for musculoskeletal providers to attempt to optimize their patients’ satisfaction.
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References
Papers of particular interest, published recently, have been highlighted as: • of importance
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Matthew J. Smith reports equity and an advisory board role with Universal Research Solutions, outside the submitted work.
Theodore J. Choma reports grants from Stryker Spine, outside of the submitted work. He is also a board member for AO Spine North America and Scoliosis Research Society.
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This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects performed by any of the authors.
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This article is part of the Topical Collection on Orthopaedic Health Policy
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Smith, M.J., Choma, T.J. Patient satisfaction in musculoskeletal medicine. Curr Rev Musculoskelet Med 10, 207–211 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12178-017-9403-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12178-017-9403-x