Lisa Rosenbaum, MD, said hospitals’ emphasis on patient satisfaction can make physicians’ unpleasant diagnoses and prescriptions even more difficult to deliver.
“Sure, there are nice ways of saying, ‘You need to lose weight, stop smoking, and take this medication that certainly won’t make you feel better but might very well leave you tired and depressed,'” wrote Ms. Rosenbaum. “But sometimes there aren’t, and it can be tough to separate how we feel about the message from how we feel about the messenger.”
The habit is embedded in psychological concepts, such as the halo effect. This is a cognitive bias in which people quickly assess others and assume they have positive or negative qualities based on first general impressions. It can be difficult to separate a physician’s diagnosis or treatment plan from impressions of him or her as a person.
“Though there are several factors informing the general likability of physicians beyond how we feel about what they tell us, there is no reason to assume we would be somehow immune to this cognitive bias when it comes time to rate them,” wrote Dr. Rosenbaum.
Past studies haven’t shown a high correlation between higher satisfaction scores and healthier patients, according to the article. One study examined patient satisfaction among more than 50,000 patients over a seven-year period.
Ms. Rosenbaum said two findings were notable. First, the most satisfied patients incurred the highest costs. Second, the most satisfied patients had the highest rates of mortality. Ms. Rosenbaum said the findings suggest the system should reconsider the role of patient satisfaction surveys.
“Good medicine, it seems, does not always feel good,” Ms. Rosenbaum concluded.
More Articles on Patient Satisfaction:
Gallup: HCAHPS Results Show Healthier Patients Rate Hospitals Higher
Study: Surgery Patients Give Worse HCAHPS Scores if Complications Arise
Study: Most Patient Complaints Cite Lack of Patient-Centered Care
