ORCID

0009-0009-7763-614X (Maliakal), 0009-0003-1836-3520 (Anbazhagan),

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2026

DOI

10.1155/adph/9970417

Publication Title

Advances in Public Health

Volume

2026

Pages

9970417

Abstract

Background

Patient satisfaction, a key indicator of healthcare quality, is associated with improved adherence, continuity, and outcomes. However, limited evidence describes determinants of patient satisfaction in contemporary primary care settings reflecting the postpandemic era, when care delivery models and patient expectations have evolved substantially.

Objective

To evaluate the sociodemographic and clinical factors associated with patient satisfaction in an academic primary care setting following the postpandemic era.

Methods

We conducted a cross-sectional survey of adult patients (≥18 years) attending a primary care clinic. Participants completed a self-administered questionnaire including the Visit-Specific Satisfaction Questionnaire (VSQ-9) and measures of sociodemographic and clinical characteristics. Multivariable linear regression models were used to assess associations between predictor variables and satisfaction scores, adjusting for potential confounders.

Results

Among 552 participants, the mean (SD) age was 56.7 (15.9) years, 53.6% were female, and 43.1% were African American. Longer visit duration (>15 min) was independently associated with higher satisfaction (β = 0.60; 95% CI: 0.14–1.06; p = 0.01), as was a longer-term provider relationship. Higher self-rated health was positively associated with satisfaction, whereas nondisclosure of marital status was linked to lower satisfaction (β = −0.91; 95% CI: −1.70 to −0.13; p = 0.02). Hypertension was modestly associated with higher satisfaction (β = 0.13; 95% CI: 0.00–0.26; p = 0.05).

Conclusion

In contemporary primary care, patient satisfaction is strongly influenced by visit duration, continuity of care, and perceived health status. These findings may inform interventions in clinical care, medical education, and health policy aimed at enhancing patient-centered care.

Rights

© 2026 Alvin Maliakal et al.

This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Data Availability

Article states: "The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request."

Original Publication Citation

Maliakal, A., Kanapareddy, R., Altaf, Z., Anbazhagan, J., Olson, K., Avila, C., Qayyum, R., & Wesley, H. (2026). Determinants of patient satisfaction in an academic primary care setting: A cross‐sectional study in the postpandemic era. Advances in Public Health, 2026, Article 9970417. https://doi.org/10.1155/adph/9970417

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