The Satisfaction and Psychosocial Status of Patients During Treatment for Cancer

Abstract

In a prospective, longitudinal study, the authors assessed the relationships among patient satisfaction, psychosocial status, medical status, and patient-initiated changes in physicians in a sample of 128 patients who had been recently diagnosed with cancer. Patient satisfaction was measured by the Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire, which measures patients' satisfaction with various components of their relationships with physicians and the health care system. Their psychosocial status was measured by the Profile of Mood States and the Brief Symptom Inventory. The authors found that satisfaction is a construct that is independent of demographic, clinical, and other psychosocial variables. Moreover, although the patients' emotional status changed markedly over time, their satisfaction with their medical care and treatment remained constant and at high levels.