Satisfaction with health care. A predictor of adolescents' appointment keeping.

ABSTRACT

PIP: Adolescents are assuming greater responsability for their own health care, yet have a high rate of broken appointments. The importance of satisfaction with their health care in determining appointment compliance has been demonstrated for adult patients. The purpose of the present study was to explore patient satisfaction among teenagers and its realtionship to appointment keeping. A short, reliable instrument was developed to assess adolescent patients' satisfaction with their clinic care. The patient's satisfaction was highly correlated with subsequent compliance in coming for appointments. Satisfaction, hence, appointment keeping, was higher in females, older adolescents, those making their own initial clinic appointment, those with a positive body image, and those scoring high on a test of personal freedom. The questionnaire that was administered comprised 21 items. There were 26 males and 37 females in the final sample. 50% were white, middle class, and suburban; 35% were black; and 15% were Chicano from the low S.E.S. communities of San Jose, California.