Zufriedenheit und therapieakzeptanz nach einem psychosomatisch-psychotherapeutischen beratungsgespräch: Eine prospektive feldstudie

Background: Although consultations at psychosomatic-psychotherapeutic outpatient units play an important role in meeting health care needs, the quality of such consultations has rarely been evaluated. Objective: To assess the quality of psychosomatic-psychotherapeutic consultations and identify its determinants. Methods: 505 patients referred to a psychosomatic-psychotherapeutic outpatient unit for a consultation participated in a prospective field study. After the consultation the patient and therapist rated three aspects of the consultation (initial working alliance, thoroughness, clarification), and three months later the patient rated its success (satisfaction, compliance). Results: Both the patients and the therapists rated the consultations very positively. The compliance rate was 71%. Satisfactions could be predicted with the patient's rating (best predictor: working alliance) and the degree of therapist involvement in arranging for treatment. Conclusion: The initial working alliance appears to be a key determinant of satisfaction (patient's perspective) and compliance (therapist's perspective).