[Information and participation of patients in psychosomatic rehabilitation. Occurrence and relations to patient satisfaction treatment outcome].

OBJECTIVE

Main goal was to assess the wish for participation of patients in psychosomatic rehabilitation and their perception of medical information and own treatment involvement. Further, the influence of these constructs on patient satisfaction was investigated.

METHODS

276 patients were included in a cross-sectional survey at the end of their inpatient stay.

RESULTS

Patients showed a strong need for participation in this sample. Socio-demographic and disease-related parameters had no or only weak associations to the shared decision making variables. Strong correlations to patient satisfaction were found for doctor facilitation of patient involvement (r = 0.57) and transfer of treatment relevant information (r = 0.52).

CONCLUSIONS

The doctor's behaviour concerning information transfer and involvement of patients in their treatment proved to be an important factor for patient satisfaction. This underlines the importance of active and need-oriented information in the sense of "empowerment".