ABSTRACT
Objective: To study the determinants that affect patient satisfaction to rural doctors. Methods:Based on survey data of Liupanshui City, Guizhou Province, structural equation modeling analysis was adopted, and the study was mainly from the following four aspects:the image of rural doctors, service quality, quality of diagnosis and treatment, and harmonious doctor-patient relationships. Results: The study found that the quality of diagnosis and treatment had the greatest direct impact on rural patient satisfaction, followed by service quality, the image of ru-ral doctors and harmonious doctor-patient relationships;rural patient satisfaction has a significant impact on rural pa-tient loyalty. Conclusion:Rural patient satisfaction and loyalty to rural doctors is mainly based on kinship and geopo-litical relations;given the state of medical technology, the medical environment, medical equipment, service aware-ness and other restrictions, rural doctors cannot fulfill the “gatekeeper” role, and consequently, the primary health-care system has been severely affected.