The influence of mistrust, racism, religious participation, and access to care on patient satisfaction for African American men: the North Carolina-Louisiana Prostate Cancer Project.

Abstract Disclaimer The views expressed in this manuscript are those of the authors and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Army, Department of Defense, or the US Government. Objective The purpose of this study was to explore whether a particular combination of individual characteristics influences patient satisfaction with the health care system among a sample of African American men in North Carolina with prostate cancer. Patient satisfaction may be relevant for improving African American men’s use of regular care, thus improving the early detection of prostate cancer and attenuating racial disparities in prostate cancer outcomes. Methods This descriptive correlation study examined relationships of individual characteristics that influence patient satisfaction using data from 505 African American men from North Carolina, who prospectively enrolled in the North Carolina-Louisiana Prostate Cancer Project from September 2004 to November 2007. Analyses consisted of univariate statistics, bivariate analysis, and multiple regression analysis. Results The variables selected for the final model were: participation in religious activities, mistrust, racism, and perceived access to care. In this study, both cultural variables, mistrust ( p = p = F = 5.59), were significantly negatively associated with patient satisfaction and accounted for the majority of the variability represented by individual characteristics. Conclusion Mistrust and racism are cultural factors that are extremely important and have been negatively associated with patient satisfaction and decreased desires to utilize health care services for African American men. To overcome barriers in seeking health care services, health care providers need to implement a patient-centered approach by creating a clinical environment that demonstrates cultural competence and eliminating policies, procedures, processes, or personnel that foster mistrust and racism.