Patient and Provider Attitudes in the Healthcare Context

Previous work has shown that similarities in patients' and providers' beliefs about the role each should play in health care contexts are associated with greater patient satisfaction, greater trust in the provider, and greater treatment adherence. Extending this work by examining the effect of patient-provider attitudinal similarity on patients' diabetic and blood pressure control over an 18 month period is important because management of patients with co-morbid hypertension (HTN) and diabetes (DM) is a costly and clinically challenging task within the VA health system. Self-report questionnaires will be used to assess VA providers' beliefs about their own preferences for patient-provider role orientation in care, whereas interviews will be used to measure veterans' beliefs about their preferences for patient-provider role orientation in their care, satisfaction with their care, and self-reported treatment adherence. Data regarding health services use, prescription refills (a measure of adherence), and 18-month means of blood pressure and hemoglobin A1c will be collected from veterans' medical records. The study represents a critical step toward understanding how patient and provider attitudes toward care might be explicitly assessed and incorporated into the evidence-based health care delivery process to enhance the management of chronic illnesses and overall health among veterans.