The Ecology of the Patient Visit: The Relationship between the Physical Attractiveness of Outpatient Facilities and Patient Satisfaction and Perceived Quality of Care
Weill Cornell Medical College Phase 2:
This study is the second phase of a study comparing patients’ perceived quality of care in ambulatory facilities that differ markedly in their physical attractiveness. Weill Cornell Medical College Phase 1 assessed the effect on patient’s perceived quality of care of six outpatient facilities that differed significantly in their physical attractiveness. Phase 2 assessed how the move from the least physically attractive practice in Phase 1 to new outpatient facilities explicitly designed to enhance the patient experience affected patient’s visit experience. Phase 2 was further designed to test whether changes in patient’s perceived quality of care were related not to just perceived but to actual differences in staff behavior. Patients’ perceived quality of care, including their perception of the quality of interaction with staff, was significantly higher in the patient-centered facility. Few differences were found in the actual patient-staff interaction behaviors.
Sweeney, B. (2008) The ecology of the patient experience: Physical environments, patient-staff interactions, staff behavior, and quality of care. Unpublished Master’s thesis, Cornell University.