The relationship between primary care physician satisfaction and emergency department qualities

The relationships between primary care physician satisfaction with emergency department services and emergency department physician competence, quality of nursing care, and quality of telephone communication between the emergency department and the primary care physician were determined. The study explored: (a) the relationship between primary care physician satisfaction with overall emergency department services and a linear combination of emergency department physician competence, quality of nursing care and quality of telephone communication between the emergency department and the primary care physician, and (b) the relationship between each of the variables representing selected emergency department qualities and primary care physician satisfaction with overall emergency department services controlling for the other two emergency department qualities variable and the linear relationship between primary care physician satisfaction with overall emergency department services and each of the emergency department qualities variables.;The sample consisted of 50 primary care physicians whose patients had utilized the emergency department of a 350-bed community hospital in the 18 months preceding the study. The relationship between primary care physician satisfaction with overall emergency department services and a linear combination of emergency department physician competence, quality of nursing care and quality of telephone communication between the emergency department and the primary care physician was determined by multiple linear regression analysis utilizing the "enter" method. The beta values obtained from the multiple regression analysis were utilized in order to determine the relationship between primary care physician satisfaction with overall emergency department services and each of emergency department physician competence, quality of nursing care and quality of telephone communication between the emergency department and primary care physician controlling for the other two emergency department qualities variables. Pearson product-moment correlations were calculated to determine the relationship between primary care physician satisfaction with overall emergency department services and each of emergency department physician competence, quality of nursing care and quality of telephone communication between the emergency department and primary care physician.;A relationship was found between the group of variables representing selected emergency department qualities and primary care physician satisfaction with overall emergency department services. It was concluded that among the emergency department qualities variables, emergency department physician competence contributed most to the explanation of primary care physician satisfaction with overall emergency department services. The quality of telephone communication between the emergency department and the primary care physician was the second highest contributor. Contrary to the literature, quality of nursing care alone appeared to contribute very little to primary care physician satisfaction with overall emergency department services in this study.;The need for further research and the identification of other contributing variables was recognized. Implications for research, hospital administrators, and educators were presented and discussed.