Patients are Satisfied with the Physician-Patient Communication: A Pilot Study Applying the "Individual Clinician Feedback" Questionnaire

Aim of the study Patient-centeredness as an essential aspect of quality of patient care is becoming increasingly important. The aim of the pilot study is to gain insight into the physician-patient communication from the patient's perspective. A German questionnaire in a maximum care hospital was tested. Methods The German Individual Clinician Feedback questionnaire (ICF) was tested in a pilot study in the special consultation in a voluntary cohort of surgeons. In the survey period from June to August 2015, the questionnaire was given to the patient. The physicians received their assessment results as a compressed score. They were rated on a scale of 1-10 on which 10 is very good. Results 12 physicians were recruited from five departments. There was a high response rate of 46 % (n = 219). The patients evaluated the communication as very good (on average over all items and physicians 8.5 to 9.5 points). 89 % of the patients had the feeling that the doctor took adequate time for them, while 50 % of the patients had a consultation time of 11-20 min. 12 % of the patients had still open questions after treatment that they did not ask. 19 % and 21 % of patients reported that the physician has not asked them if they had any questions, or that they just forgot about it at the end of treatment. Conclusion The results of the pilot study are associated with a good response rate and patients were mostly very satisfied with the physician-patient communication. However, a selection bias among participating physicians is likely.