Systematic reviews
| Authors | Time span and studies meeting inclusion criteria | Healthcare setting | Disease areas covered | Unit of analysis | Patient experience focus (and measurement methods) | Safety and effectiveness measure—association demonstrated - | Safety and effectiveness measure—association not demonstrated | Assocs found vs not found |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blasi et al71 | 1974–1998, 4 of 25 | Range of settings | Asthma, hypertension, cancer, insomnia, menopause, obesity, tonsillitis | P | Provider behaviour and communication (grading of consultations) | Health status, symptom improvement, treatment effectiveness, fear of injection, anxiety, ratings of pain, number of doctor visits, pain, speed of recovery | Comfort, recovery time, return visits | 9/3 |
| Drotar29 | 1998–2008, 4 of 22 | Range of settings | Asthma, cystic fibrosis, diabetes, epilepsy, inflammatory bowel disease, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis | P | Physician and staff behaviour (surveys, interviews, medical records) | Treatment adherence, compliance, office visits, phone calls, hospitalisations | Medication adherence | 5/1 |
| Hall et al72 | 1990–2009, 10 of 14 | Range of settings | Brain injury, musculoskeletal conditions, cardiac conditions, trauma, back, neck and shoulder pain | P | Therapist-patient relationship, therapeutic alliance (surveys, audio/video taped session) | Adherence, employment status, physical training, therapeutic success, perceived effect of treatment, pain, physical function, depression, general health status, attendance, floor-bench lifts, global assessment scores, ability to perform activities of daily living (ADLs), mobility | Weekly physical training, disability, productivity, depression, functional status, adherence | 18/6 |
| Stevenson et al73 | 1991–2000, 7 of 134 | Range of settings | Hypertension, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder, ovarian cancer, epilepsy, hyperlipidaemia | P | Doctor–patient communication (surveys) | Self-reported adherence, blood pressure control, general physician practice visits, hospitalisations, emergency room visits for children with asthma, quality of life for COPD patients, oral contraceptive adherence, adherence to antiepileptic drugs, pain control following gynaecological surgery, adherence to medication for depression | Length of visits to doctor for asthma patients, health status and use of healthcare services for epilepsy patients, adherence to Niacin and bile acid sequestrant therapy | 9/5 |
| Saultz and Lochner44 | 1967–2002, 41 studies | Range of settings | Varied | P | Continuity of care —ongoing relationship between individual doctor and patient (surveys, continuity of care index) | Hospitalisation rate, hospital readmission, length of stay, influenza immunisation, preventive care, antibiotic compliance, intensive care unit days, Neonatal morbidity, Apgar score, Birth weight, rates and timeliness of childhood immunisations, health-related quality of life, recommended diabetes care measures, glucose control, PAP tests, mammogram rate, breast exams, surgical operation rates, hypertension control, presence of depression, relationship problems, adverse events in hospitalsed patients, degree of patient enablement, rheumatic fever incidence | Diabetes (HbA1C, lipid control, blood pressure control, presence of diabetic complications), blood glucose control, functional ability of elderly patients, compliance with antibiotic therapy, well-child visits, blood pressure checks in women, pregnancy complications, newborn mortality, immunization rates, NICU admissions, Apgar scores, caesarean rate, length of labour, indications for tonsillectomy | 51/30 |
| Hall, Roter and Katz74 | Meta-analysis 41 studies | Range of settings | Varied | P | Clinician–patient communication (surveys, interviews, observations, assessment of video or audio) | Compliance (with 4 variables of PE), recall/understanding (with 4 variables of PE) | Compliance (with 1 variable of PE), recall/understanding (with 1 variable of PE) | 8/2 |
| Jackson, C. et al 40 | 1984–2008, 3 of 17 | Range of settings | Inflammatory bowel disease | P | Trust in physician, Patient–physician agreement, adequacy information (surveys) | Adherence to treatment | Compliance | 2/1 |
| Sans-Coralles et al43 | 1984–2005, 9 of 20 | Primary care | No specific disease focus | P | Continuity of care, coordination of care, consultation time, doctor–patient relationship (validated tools in these different domains) | Hospital admissions, length of stay, compliance, recovery from discomfort, emotional health, diagnostic tests, referrals, quality of care for asthma, diabetes and angina, symptom burden, receipt of preventive services | Enablement | 13/1 |
| Hsiao and Boult45 | 1984–2003, 3 of 14 | Primary care | No specific disease focus | P | Continuity with physician (surveys, interviews, medical records, chart reviews) | Hospitalisations for all conditions and ambulatory care-sensitive conditions, odds of hospitalisation(2), healthcare costs(2), emergency department visits, emergent hospital admissions(2), length of stay, diabetes recognition, mental health(2), pain, perception of health, well-being, BMI, triglyceride concentrations, recovery, clinical outcomes, self-reported health | Acute ambulatory care-sensitive conditions, mobility, pain, emotion, activities of daily living, smoking, BMI, hypertension, hypercholesterolaemia, self-reported health, glycaemic control, diabetes control, frequency of hypoglycaemic reactions, blood sugar, weight | 21/15 |
| Arbuthnott et al30 | Meta analysis, 1955–2007, All 48 studies included | Range of settings | Asthma, bacterial infection, flbromyalgia, diabetes, renal disease, hypertension, congestive heart failure, inflammatory bowel disease, breast cancer, HIV and tuberculosis | P | Physician–patient collaboration (Observation, surveys) | Medication adherence, behavioural adherence | Appointment adherence | 2/1 |
| Stewart75 | 1983–1993, 21 studies | Range of settings | Peptic ulcers, breast cancer, diabetes, hypertension, headache, coronary artery disease, gingivitis, tuberculosis, prostate cancer | P | Physician–patient communication (surveys, evaluation of audio- or videotape recording) | Peptic ulcer physical limitation, blood glucose levels, blood pressure, headache resolution, physician evaluation of symptom resolution for coronary artery disease, gingivitis and tuberculosis, anxiety level in gynaecological care, radiation therapy, breast cancer care, functional status following radiation therapy for prostate cancer, anxiety after radiation therapy, pain levels and hospital length of stay after intra-abdominal surgery, physical and psychological complaints in breast cancer care | Details not included | 16/5 |
| Zolnierek and DiMatteo28 | Meta analysis 1949–2008, 127 studies | Range of settings | No specific disease focus | P | Physician–patient communication (observation, surveys) | Adherence to treatment recommended by clinician | Adherence (2 observational studies) | 125/2 |
| Beck et al76 | 1975–2000, 5 of 14 | Primary care | No specific disease focus | P | Physician–patient communication (observation, evaluation of audio and video tapes) | Compliance with doctors’ advice, blood pressure, pill count | None | 10/0 |
| Cabana and Lee21 | 1966–2002, 7 of 18 | Range of settings | Rheumatoid arthritis, epilepsy, breast cancer, cervical cancer, diabetes | P | Continuity of care (validated measures of continuity eg, SCOC) | Hospitalisations, length of stay, emergency department visits, intensive care days, preventive medicine visits, drug or alcohol abuse, outpatient attendance, glucose control for adults with diabetes | None | 18/5 |
| Richards et al77 | 1997–2002, 2 of 33 | Range of settings | Psoriasis | P | Patient's perception of care, satisfaction, interpersonal skills (surveys, interviews) | Treatment adherence, medication use | None | 2/0 |
BMI, body mass index.