Healthcare organizations often ask patients about their opinions on clinic visits in order to improve the quality of care that patients receive. Questions may include convenience of the clinic’s location, attitudes of the clinic staff and providers, or time spent waiting in the clinic.
These questions are called a “Satisfaction Survey” and are usually asked at the end of a visit. However, patients often have opinions about a clinic or a doctor before any visit takes place because of something a friend or family member said, a commercial they saw, or maybe because the area where the clinic is located is very nice. Also, people usually have first impressions of other people before talking with them -- impressions that turn out to be real or unreal.
First impressions of doctors are very important because they may relate to your perceptions of the health care you receive. As part of this study, you will sit at a computer and listen to 2 stories about visiting a doctor in an imaginary clinic. After hearing each story, you will see a picture of the imaginary doctor on the computer screen. Five statements will appear asking how likely it is that the imaginary doctor would provide this medical care to you. The score for each statement goes from 1=low to 5=high. You can enter the scores yourself or have the researcher help you. Finally, we will ask you to explain, in your own words, your reasons for giving the imaginary doctor the scores that you did. This part of the study will be tape recorded.
There are no right or wrong answers. This is your opinion, and it matters! The information you provide can help us improve care for older women, especially African Americans.
Now, let’s begin...