Other Physicians' Recognition and Satisfaction to the Psychiatric Consultation Service in a University Hospital

Ryu, Seuk Hwan; Lee, Yang Hyun

Abstract

OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study were to investigate degree of satisfaction in referring physicians' psychiatric consultation services and their attitudes and opinions toward psychiatry, and the correlation between two them. METHOD: A total of 159 survey questionnaire were distributed to physicians in a University Hospital. The questionnaires contained the level of satisfaction in referring physicians' psychiatric consultation services and their attitudes and opinions toward psychiatry. 135 surveys were returned, representing 85% return rate. Statistical method used were Cronbach's alpha coefficient for testing reliability, factor analysis for testing validity, and t-test or ANOVA with SAS.
RESULTS
Internal consistency reliability was tested by Cronbach's alpha. Cronbach's alpha was 0.8594 for total 23 items. Twenty-three items and seven factors were emerged and these contributed 66.8% of the variance in the total score. Factor I in the psychiatric consultation questionnaire was positively correlated with overall merits of the field of psychiatry in the attitude questionnaire, factor II in the psychiatric consultation questionnaire was positively correlated with possible abuses and social criticisms in the attitude questionnaire, factor III in the psychiatric consultation questionnaire was positively correlated with efficacy in the attitude questionnaire, factor V in the psychiatric consultation questionnaire was positively correlated with possible abuses and social criticisms in the attitude questionnaire, factor VI in the psychiatric consultation questionnaire was positively correlated with overall merits of the field of psychiatry in the attitude questionnaire.
CONCLUSIONS
Our results supported the hypothesis that referring physicians' satisfaction to the psychiatric consultation was positively correlated with psychiatrists' attitude, and that physicians with more positive attitudes and those had more knowledge on psychiatry showed greater satisfaction in psychiatric consultation service than those without.