An easy way to measure quality of physician-patient interactions.

This article describes a simple method for rating the patient-clinician interaction from the perspective of the older adult patient, with the goal of improving patient outcomes. A measure for rating the quality of an interaction with a patient who is bothered by a problem is called the Functional Education Index or FNXEI. Usually, sicker patients are known to be less satisfied with their medical care. What is unique about the FNXEI is that it is not affected by a patient's overall health, giving clinicians an accurate account of their interactions with patients. Considering this, the FNXEI becomes a useful tool for improving care because it has face validity and specificity about the type of care clinicians are providing for their older adult patients.