Undergraduate Theses

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  • Publication
    Young Adult Perceptions of Patient-Provider Interactions in Primary Care
    (University of Alaska Anchorage, 2020-09-24) McCafferty, Kelcie; Howard, Veronica
    The patient-provider relationship may significantly impact a variety of health-related factors, ranging from the experience of chronic pain. (Jonsdottir, Oskarsson, & Jonsdottir, 2016) to overall healthcare outcomes (Beach, Keruly, & Moore, 2006). Patient demographics and previous medical history can influence patient perceptions of providers (Marchland, Palis, & Oviedo-Jones, 2016; Dennison et al., 2019), with previous studies exploring differences in the patient experience as a function of race, ethnicity, gender, location, socioeconomic status, and experience of chronic pain. However, few studies have assessed the interaction of multiple demographic and medical factors with patient perceptions of their interactions with providers. This study evaluated whether young adult patients’ demographic, medical, and gender-related factors were associated with perceptions of their most recent Primary Care Provider (PCP) interaction. Participants were surveyed regarding their medical history, experience of chronic pain, patient trust in physicians, patient-provider depth of relationship, quality of interactions with their PCP, and view the overall healthcare experience. Results indicate that women and participants with chronic pain disorders, mental health disorders, and sexual health disorders reported lower levels of satisfaction with interactions with providers. Moreover, inconsistency between quantitative ratings of recent PCP relationship quality and open-ended qualitative responses indicate a potential lingering effect of prior poor provider interactions on participants’ perceptions of health care providers.
  • Publication
    A Pilot Evaluation of the Performance Diagnostic Checklist for Assessing Employee Satisfaction and Support in Call Centers
    (University of Alaska Anchorage, 2020-04-13) Kiester, Rebekah
    Call center employees play a critical role in providing customer service, and directly influence customer satisfaction and retention (Slowiak, 2014). Determining what variables influence employee satisfaction and performance in call centers is crucial for organizations and businesses to support their employees. The Performance Diagnostic Checklist (PDC) was developed to identify variables that influence employee performance (Austin, 2000). The PDC has been found to be effective in a variety of settings, but a review of the literature indicates it has not been used to assess employee support in financial institutions. This study aims to adapt the PDC for use with employees in a financial institution call center to systematically assess factors related to employee support throughout the department. Results of the study indicate overall high levels of employee support, but indicate the potential for improvement in communication of department performance indicators as well as monitoring and providing clear performance feedback.