Patients' perceptions of the interpersonal sensitivity of their healthcare providers: the potential role of patient-provider racial/ethnic concordance.

BACKGROUND

Preliminary studies have revealed an association between cultural competence and an improvement in the quality of healthcare services, increased patient satisfaction, and increased effectiveness of services.

OBJECTIVE

This study examined factors that helped to explain patients' perceptions of their providers' interpersonal sensitivity - one component of cultural competence.

METHODS AND PARTICIPANTS

The respondents were 2075 racially/ethnically diverse adults, aged 50 years and older, who responded to a national telephone survey.

RESULTS

Results indicate that one of the main factors predicting interpersonal sensitivity is self-rated physical health: those who reported better health were more likely to see their provider as exhibiting higher levels of sensitivity. This was true for Hispanic/Latino patients. The results also suggest that having a provider of the same race/ethnicity was a significant factor only for Hispanic/Latino patients.

CONCLUSION

Despite findings from previous research, racial/ethnic concordance may not be universally effective in improving interpersonal sensitivity in healthcare settings for all racial/ethnic groups.