Introduction Agenda-setting is a collaborative process where patients and providers discuss questions and the goals for the medical appointment. The Patient Support Corps (PSC) aims to facilitate agenda-setting by 1) facilitating question/concern list before patient visits and 2) accompanying the patient to take notes and reminding patients of question lists as needed. It is critical to evaluate whether the routine provision of patient-centered agenda-setting improves patient experience.

Methods We are conducting a retrospective, cross-sectional study to explore the impact of the PSC program since its inception at Dartmouth Health to 2023. We are exploring 1) the impact of PSC on patient perception of provider communication; 2) variation in patient-reported shared decision-making during PSC clinical encounters across clinical settings and patient demographics; 3) the role of PSC on patient confidence in asking questions during clinical encounters; and 4) patient and provider survey and written feedback to assess experience with participating in PSC.

Results Since the program’s inception, it has served over 3,000 patients (median age 60 years;71% female). A top-box analysis of patient satisfaction finds 74% of patients were completely satisfied with the PSC experience. Among clinicians surveyed, most respondents used the patient question lists, believed that the question lists informed them of what is important to the patients and helped with patient interaction. Further analyses are in progress and will be completed by March 2024.

Discussion Preliminary results suggest that services provided by PSC, such as question-listing, may have positive impacts on patient satisfaction and provider experience.

Conclusions Any conclusions should be interpreted carefully as data analysis has not yet finished. Upon completion, we hope to better understand the impact of programs, like PSC, on patients during clinical encounters at a tertiary medical center in rural New England.