OBJECTIVES Our objectives were to: 1) describe patient-reported communication with their provider and explore differences in perceptions of racially diverse adherent versus nonadherent patients; and 2) examine whether the association between unanswered questions and patient-reported medication nonadherence varied as a function of patients' race. METHODS We conducted a cross-sectional analysis...

Smooth patient flow through outpatient clinics promotes timely, effective, and safe care while delays and bottlenecks might lower ratings of patient and provider satisfaction, increasing the risk for errors that may affect patient outcomes. However, no studies have been undertaken to analyze how human interactions affect clinic efficiency and quality of care. The goal of our project is to inves...

BACKGROUND This study describes the relation between patient satisfaction with physician performance and seeing one's "own doctor" for a recent office visit. METHODS A cross-sectional, randomized, computer-assisted telephone interview survey was performed at an urban health maintenance organization; 1146 responses were analyzed. RESULTS Patients seeing their own physicians were significantl...

BACKGROUND Inadequate health literacy in adults is a nationwide issue that is associated with worse health outcomes. There is a paucity of literacy regarding rates of inadequate health literacy in psychiatric populations. OBJECTIVE The aim of the study was to identify an existing tool that would easily identify patients who had inadequate health literacy, so that a targeted intervention could...

OBJECTIVE To explore patient perceptions of patient-provider communication after an actual adverse medical event because prior patient error studies are rarely based on real situations. DESIGN We conducted four patient focus groups using a semi-structured guide. We analyzed transcripts using an editing approach to identify themes. SETTING Three sites in Colorado. STUDY PARTICIPANTS partic...