Ethnicity and Client Satisfaction in a Nurse Managed Clinic for Older Adults

Abstract

Nurse Practitioners (NPs) provide primary care services to a clientele of diverse ethnicity. Quality of care and customer satisfaction are important determinants of the survival and success of NPs as primary care providers. The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between ethnicity and client satisfaction with NP services in a nurse-managed clinic for older adults. The clinic serves a high percentage of Hispanic clients, approaching half of the total number.

This descriptive, comparative study used a newly developed Client Satisfaction Tool (CST), to complete a telephone survey 28 clients of a local nurse-managed clinic for medically underserved older adults. The framework which supports the practice model in at the clinic under study is Cox's Interactional Model of Client Health Behaviors (IMCHB). Data analysis includes demographic characteristics of the sample, overall levels of satisfaction among all users, analysis of variance between satisfaction scores between Hispanic and non-Hispanic users of the clinic, and reliability analysis of the Client satisfaction Tool (CST).

Findings showed that the typical clinic client was years old and female. Percentages of Hispanic and non-Hispanic clients were 46.4% and 53.6%, respectively. Overall satisfaction scores among all clinic users were high, with a mean of 53.39 in a possible range of 12 to 60, Reliability of the Client Satisfaction Tool (CST) was supported by a Cronbach's alpha of .8801. Analysis of variance showed no significant difference between satisfaction totals between ethnic groups (F=.52, p=.49). These results indicate that providers at the clinic are effectively tailoring interventions to the individual client, regardless of ethnicity.

In order to position themselves at the forefront as providers of primary care, Nurse Practitioners must be responsive and innovative in meeting the demands of a changing health care system and a diverse clientele. Planning and provision of services requires a foundation in research, including efforts to measure levels of client satisfaction, as well as discovery of elements which contribute to a positive provider-client interface.

Notes

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Graduation Date

1997

Semester

Fall

Advisor

Bear, Mary

Degree

Master of Science (M.S.)

College

College of Health and Public Affairs

Department

Nursing

Format

Print

Language

English

Length of Campus-only Access

None

Access Status

Masters Thesis (Open Access)

Identifier

DP0022654

Subjects

Dissertations, Academic -- Health and Public Affairs; Health and Public Affairs -- Dissertations, Academic

Accessibility Status

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