Exploring the Meaning of ‘Dissatisfaction’ with Health Care: The Importance of ‘Personal Identity Threat’

Researchers argue that a number of assumptions have been made about the concepts of patient satisfaction and dissatisfaction that have compromised their validity. The aim of this study was to explore the meaning of ‘dissatisfaction’ with health care. Forty‐one people who had experienced problems in health care were identified from a household survey of health service users. They were interviewed in depth using an unstructured schedule. A grounded theory approach was used to construct a framework inductively from their accounts. The results suggest that ‘dissatisfaction’ could not accommodate the range of feelings, beliefs and values people express when they encounter problems in health care. However, another concept, that of ‘personal identity threat’, was identified which offered additional insights into the meaning of untoward experiences in health care. This concept delineates the grounds for disappointment or dissatisfaction, and helped to capture the complexity of the feelings and views expressed. Personal identity was perceived as being challenged through experiences which were felt to be disempowering, dehumanising and devaluing. Gender, class and race differences also emerged in respondents’ perceptions of identity threat.