Patients' and providers' satisfaction with shared medical appointments

Background: Shared medical appointments (SMAs) are comprehensive medical visits conducted with groups of patients. We have previously discussed the potential and assessed likely support for SMAs in Australia. In this paper, we report on patient and provider satisfaction, and some subjective outcomes. Objective: To measure patients’ and providers’ attitude and satisfaction with SMAs after attending at least two, and consider the most appropriate form of SMA suited to Australian conditions. Methods: A total of 24 SMAs were conducted in eight medical centres in New South Wales, South Australia and Queensland. Satisfaction and subjective outcomes from these sessions were tested in a mixed method analysis after more than 200 attendances. Results: Satisfaction with SMAs was high among patients and providers. Almost all of the patients involved said they would continue using SMAs, if these were available. All providers wished to continue being involved as an alternative form of clinical management. Discussion: The results of this pilot study, and our previously reported studies, suggest that SMAs could be a valuable process tool in chronic disease management in Australia.