A systematic scoping review of patient and caregiver self-report measures of satisfaction with clinicians' communication

Easton N Wollney; Taylor S Vasquez; Carla L Fisher; Melissa J Armstrong; Samantha R Paige; Jordan Alpert; Carma L Bylund

doi:10.1016/j.pec.2023.107976

A systematic scoping review of patient and caregiver self-report measures of satisfaction with clinicians' communication

Patient Educ Couns. 2023 Dec:117:107976. doi: 10.1016/j.pec.2023.107976. Epub 2023 Sep 18.

Authors

Easton N Wollney¹, Taylor S Vasquez², Carla L Fisher³, Melissa J Armstrong⁴, Samantha R Paige⁵, Jordan Alpert⁶, Carma L Bylund³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Health Outcomes and Biomedical Informatics, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA. Electronic address: eastonwollney@ufl.edu.
² College of Journalism & Communications, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA.
³ Department of Health Outcomes and Biomedical Informatics, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA; Cancer Control and Population Sciences Program (CCPS), UF Health Cancer Center, Gainesville, FL, USA.
⁴ Department of Health Outcomes and Biomedical Informatics, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA; Department of Neurology, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA; Norman Fixel Institute for Neurological Diseases, UF Health, Gainesville, FL, USA.
⁵ Health & Wellness Solutions, Johnson & Johnson, Inc., New Brunswick, NJ, USA.
⁶ Internal Medicine and Geriatrics, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, USA.

PMID: 37738791
DOI: 10.1016/j.pec.2023.107976

Abstract

Objective: We conducted a systematic scoping review of self-report tools used to measure patient and/or caregiver satisfaction with clinician communication. Aims included identifying: 1) instruments that have been used to measure communication satisfaction, and 2) content of the communication items on measures.

Methods: Two databases (PubMed and CINAHL) were searched for relevant studies. Eligibility included patient or caregiver self-report tools assessing satisfaction with clinicians' communication in a biomedical healthcare setting; and the stated purpose for using the measurement involved evaluating communication satisfaction and measures included more than one question about this. All data were charted in a form created by the authors.

Results: Our search yielded a total of 4531 results screened as title and abstracts; 228 studies were screened in full text and 85 studies were included in the review. We found 53 different tools used to measure communication satisfaction among those 85 studies, including 29 previously used measures (e.g., FS-ICU-24, CAHPS), and 24 original measures developed by authors. Content of communication satisfaction items included satisfaction with content-specific communication, interpersonal communication skills of clinicians, communicating to set the right environment, and global communication satisfaction items.

Conclusion: There was high variability in the number of items and types of content on measures. Communication satisfaction should be better conceptualized to improve measurement, and more robust measures should be created to capture complex factors of communication satisfaction.

Practice implications: Creating a rigorous evaluation of satisfaction with clinician communication may help strengthen communication research and the assessment of communication interventions.

Keywords: Measurement; Patient satisfaction; Provider-patient communication; Systematic review.

Publication types

Systematic Review

MeSH terms

Caregivers*
Communication
Humans
Patient Satisfaction*
Personal Satisfaction
Self Report