Whose Advocacy Counts in Shaping Elderly Patients’ Satisfaction with Physicians’ Care and Communication?

• In Event: 2184 - Section on Medical Sociology Refereed Roundtable Session
  In Refereed Roundtable 60min: Table 08. The Doctor-Patient Relationship

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to examine the relative importance of patient self-advocacy and physician advocacy for impacting patient satisfaction in terms of physician communication and physician-patient relationship. We also examine the influence of physicians’ emotional support and of patient demographic and health characteristics on patient satisfaction. Our sample includes interviews with 806 community dwelling older adults (Mean age=77.82, SD 8.41). Using multiple hierarchical regression analyses, we found that patients’ age and functional limitations were negatively associated with their care satisfaction. When compared to white patients, African-American patients were less satisfied with their physicians while Latino patients expressed greater satisfaction with their medical care. We found limited evidence of patient self-advocacy and such advocacy did not serve as a significant predictor of satisfaction with physicians. In contrast, physicians’ readiness to act as patient advocates was a significant predictor of patient satisfaction. These findings raise questions about consumer empowerment among older adults and underscore their desire for and appreciation of physician advocacy. Findings are discussed in the context of power imbalance between elderly patients and their doctors.

Authors

• Boaz Kahana, Cleveland State University

• Jiao Yu, Case Western Reserve University

• Kaitlyn Barnes Langendoerfer, Case Western Reserve University