Session number: 1058
Abstract title: A Gender-Specific Tool to Assess Satisfaction: The Women Veteran Experience
Author(s):
BA Bean-Mayberry - Center for Health Equity Research and Promotion,
VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System, Pittsburgh, PA
CH Chang - University of Pittsburgh
MA McNeil - University of Pittsburgh
J Whittle - Kansas City VA Hospital, Kansas City, MO
PM Hayes - VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System
SH Scholle - University of Pittsburgh
Objectives: To compare satisfaction among female veterans treated in women’s clinics versus traditional medicine clinics in 10 sites within Veteran’s Integrated Service Network 4 (VISN 4) in the Veteran’s Administration (VA).
Methods: An anonymous survey was mailed to a random sample of women veterans in VISN 4 stratified by site and clinic type. To measure satisfaction, we used a single-item overall rating from the VA National Survey for Ambulatory Care and a gender-specific satisfaction tool developed by the federal Centers of Excellence in Women’s Health. The Primary Care Satisfaction Survey for Women (PCSSW) was developed through qualitative research to capture items of particular interest to women. The 34-item PCSSW addresses five domains: getting care; privacy and comfort; communication; complete care; and follow-up. Patients rate each item on a 5-point Likert scale from poor to excellent; persons with an excellent rating on all items in a domain were considered to have a perfect score. Because data were skewed, we used multivariate logistic regression to model the probability of excellent satisfaction on the overall item and the probability of a perfect score within each PCSSW domain while controlling for demographics, health status, health care use, and site.
Results: Overall response rate was 61% (Total N = 1321/2161). Compared to patients in traditional clinics, patients in women’s clinics were significantly more likely to give the highest satisfaction rating for their care in every PCSSW domain: getting care (OR 1.7, 95% CI 1.1, 2.5, p=0.008); privacy and comfort (OR 1.6, 95% CI 1.1, 2.4, p=0.013); communication (OR 1.7, 95%CI 1.2, 2.4, p=0.006); complete care (OR 1.7, 95%CI 1.2, 2.4, p=0.005); and follow up care (OR 1.7, 95% CI 1.2, 2.5, p=0.006). However, women’s clinic was not as significant a predictor for overall satisfaction (OR 1.4, 95% CI 1.0, 2.0, p=0.050).
Conclusions: Women’s clinics consistently outperformed traditional clinics on domains of care that are of particular interest to women.
Impact statement: For the VA to assess satisfaction among women veterans nationally in disparate clinic settings, it will need to use a gender-specific tool in addition to previous methods to focus on concerns of female patients.