Tutorial: causal modeling and patient satisfaction.

Causal modeling is used in a variety of sciences because it allows exploration of complex relationships among several variables simultaneously. Although not used extensively in health care as yet, causal modeling could be helpful, given the complexity of the current health care system. The purpose of this article is to provide a general introduction to causal modeling and the syntax used in developing and testing a model. To illustrate the method, a sample model is tested using a combination of hypothetical and actual patient satisfaction data.