Legal requirements for information and their influence on patient satisfaction

Aim of the study The German Patientenrechtegesetz defines, among other things, medical obligations in connection with the provision of information. To date, the extent to which these legal requirements also influence patient satisfaction with information has not been investigated in Germany. Methods The study employed an anonymized patient survey on satisfaction with information, which was recorded using a validated 10-item questionnaire. Results 189 consultations (n=105 female, n=84 male patients) were included in the analysis. 87.8% (n=166) of the patients were undergoing inpatient treatment, 12.2% (n=23) were treated as outpatients. The patients were on average 53.2 years old (standard deviation: 20.3 years, range: 15 to 97 years) and were distributed across the following treatment areas: Anesthesia: n=68; Surgery: n=60; Internal Medicine: n=56; Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy: n=5 patients. Overall, there was a high level of satisfaction with the information provided, which did not differ significantly between the genders. However, patients were more satisfied if they were informed by doctors with German as their mother tongue (p=0.005; d=0.214) or by specialists (p<0.001; d=0.288). The duration of the consultation was significantly positively correlated with patient satisfaction (p=0.002, r=0.211). It was also shown that the physician's level of training (specialist: yes/no) was the most important factor (adjusted odds ratio: 4.48). Conclusion The requirements of the Patientenrechtegesetz with regard to the comprehensibility and thoroughness of the information conveyed, as well as the proficiency of the medical practitioner, have been demonstrated to foster patient satisfaction. It is thus imperative that sufficient professional competence is always ensured. For medical practitioners whose native language is not German, the utilization of translation programs, pictorial or video-based supplementary materials is recommended to facilitate comprehension and minimize any potential language barriers. Moreover, the duration of the consultation should be tailored to the specific needs of the individual patient in order to optimize satisfaction. In order to achieve this, it would be prudent to ascertain from patients in advance the level of detail they would prefer the consultation to encompass.