A majority of American patients are pleased with their physicians, according to a new survey released by the Pfizer Medical Humanities Initiative.
A majority of American patients are pleased with their physicians, according to a new survey released by the Pfizer Medical Humanities Initiative.
Approximately 60% of patients contacted in a telephone survey said they were extremely or very satisfied with their physicians' communication skills, accessibility and follow-up after office visits.
Less than 13% of patients said they were dissatisfied with their physicians in these same areas.
Contrary to physicians' expectations, more than half of patients said they were extremely or very satisfied with the duration of office visits. Less than 40% of surveyed physicians said they felt their patients were satisfied with the length of visits.
The survey, conducted by the independent research firm Yankelovich Partners, included more than 1,500 patients and 400 physicians.
The survey also revealed that most patients had been seeing the same physician for an average of seven years. This finding matched up with reports from 86% of physicians, who claimed long-term relationships with the majority of patients.
Interestingly, patients and physicians alike reported they wanted patients to be more educated and more involved with making decisions about their health care and treatment. More than 95% of both groups said they desired a mutually active partnership in regard to decision-making.
"The results show a welcome concordance between physicians' and patients' perceptions of their relationship," said Daniel Federman, M.D., the dean for medical education at Harvard Medical School. "While the patient-physician relationship has certainly evolved in the last decade and will continue to evolve in the years ahead, the findings clearly point to standards for which all health care providers should strive."
Creating better equilibrium in the decision-making process will require a conscious change in attitude and behavior for both physicians and patients, however, according to survey results. Currently only 44% of patients feel they share a mutual partnership with their doctor, while 77% of physicians feel the relationship is mutual.
Other interesting survey findings include the fact that nearly one of every five surveyed patients use the Internet as a source for medical information; that 89% said they receive their medical information from their doctors; and that other sources of patient education information include books, family and friends and consumer media.
The New York-based Pfizer Medical Humanities Initiative is a research and educational program committed to understanding and enhancing the patient-physician relationship. PR
AbbVie’s Emraclidine Fails to Reduce Schizophrenia Symptoms Compared to Placebo
November 11th 2024Results from the Phase II EMPOWER trial found that emraclidine failed to meet its primary endpoint of reducing Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale scores after six weeks of treatment for schizophrenia.
Key Findings of the NIAGARA and HIMALAYA Trials
November 8th 2024In this episode of the Pharmaceutical Executive podcast, Shubh Goel, head of immuno-oncology, gastrointestinal tumors, US oncology business unit, AstraZeneca, discusses the findings of the NIAGARA trial in bladder cancer and the significance of the five-year overall survival data from the HIMALAYA trial, particularly the long-term efficacy of the STRIDE regimen for unresectable liver cancer.
Fake Weight Loss Drugs: Growing Threat to Consumer Health
October 25th 2024In this episode of the Pharmaceutical Executive podcast, UpScriptHealth's Peter Ax, Founder and CEO, and George Jones, Chief Operations Officer, discuss the issue of counterfeit weight loss drugs, the potential health risks associated with them, increasing access to legitimate weight loss medications and more.