Correlates of Peer, Supervisor, and Patient Communication Effectiveness Satisfaction

Using a sample of 200 medical technologists over a 4-year period, this study investigated whether peer, supervisor, and patient communication satisfaction facets were related but distinct referents. Confirmatory factor analyses on the medical technologist sample and a second independent sample of 85 medical/health professionals supported the distinctiveness of these three referents. Correlational differences between communication satisfaction referents were found. Specifically, professional withdrawal intent, gathered twice before communication satisfaction, had stronger negative relationships to patient versus peer communication satisfaction. Job satisfaction and organizational withdrawal intent also exhibited correlational differences to communication satisfaction referents. One unexpected finding across both samples was that there was higher communication satisfaction with patients of the opposite versus same sex.