The Journal of family practice
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Comparative Study
The physician's role in educating patients. A comparison of mailed versus physician-delivered patient education.
Patients value receiving educational information during office visits, but physicians often lack the time or training to satisfy this need. We examined whether an increased physician role in educating patients is an effective means of improving patient satisfaction. ⋯ The patients who received self-care information from their physicians were significantly more satisfied with their care and their physician-patient communication experience than those in either the direct-mail group or the control group. Our findings lend support to the growing evidence that patients informed by their physicians are more satisfied with their care.