Referent opinion and health care satisfaction.

Abstract

The author examines the influence that referent opinion--one's own opinion and the recommendations of relevant others--has on patient perceptions of the quality of care they receive at hospitals. A study of discharged hospital patients reveals that the demographic profile of a patient also has a mediating influence on this effect. Hospital administrators are urged to pay close attention to the relationship between types of referents patients use and how they form their evaluations.