ABSTRACT
To assess perceptions of the neuropsychological evaluation, 349 patients and 218 significant others presenting to an academic medical center neuropsychology service were surveyed over a two year period. Thirty-seven percent of the patient surveys (n = 129) and 37% of the significant other surveys (n = 80) were returned. Overall, both patients and significant others reported being satisfied with the interview, testing, and feedback sessions. Responders were generally receptive to the recommendations made, but were more inclined to have followed recommendations regarding patient safety (63.6%) than coping or support (31.8%). Some barriers to compliance with recommendations were identified.
Subject(s)
Family , Health Services Research , Neuropsychological Tests , Patient Satisfaction , Perception , Adult , Aged , Attitude of Health Personnel , Female , Follow-Up Studies , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Retrospective StudiesABSTRACT
Clinical neuropsychologists often serve as consultants to physicians. However, little is known about physicians' perceptions of the neuropsychological evaluation. Therefore, the present study examined the opinions of physicians who referred patients for neuropsychological evaluation. Surveys were mailed with the neuropsychological reports to 119 physicians who referred patients to an outpatient hospital-based neuropsychology practice over a 2-year period. Results showed that physicians requesting neuropsychological evaluations most commonly sought assistance with establishing and confirming a diagnosis, and they reported a high level of satisfaction with the evaluation, including strong agreement with diagnosis and recommendations. These findings did not differ based on physician specialty or patient diagnosis.
