It is unknown how differently a factor influences pediatric patient satisfaction across multiple service areas. The objective of the study was to assess relative impacts of factors across 4 health service areas. In this retrospective study of 27 028 responses from patient satisfaction surveys, the multiple-group structural equation modeling was used to assess factor effects. "Physician care" has the largest impact on overall pediatric patient satisfaction in outpatient specialty care with a 1.4-fold, 1.7-fold, and 3-fold reduction in effect in primary care, emergency department, and inpatient care, respectively. "Nursing care" has the largest impact in inpatient care with a 3-fold effect reduction in emergency care. "Personal concern" is an impacting factor in all areas with the largest effect in emergency care. The influence of factors on pediatric patient satisfaction varies significantly across service areas. These findings help health care leaders design customized patient experience models to achieve optimal outcomes across the health system.
Keywords: exploratory factor analysis; pediatric patient satisfaction; structural equation modeling.
© The Author(s) 2015.