Table 1.

Dimensions of tools used for appraising patient-satisfaction in healthcare in descending order of time appearance (adapted from Nair et al. [20]).

Year	Dimensions, (N)	Dimensions of patient satisfaction
2009	4	Clinical atmosphere, treatment process, care outcome, and cost
2007	4	Treatment, communication, clinic, and appearance
2007	2	Belief about care and atmosphere
1997	3	Access, communication, and quality
1996	10+	Communication, services received, care outcome, staff, waiting time, clinic location, appointments, dental professional, affordability, and conceptually unrelated items
1995	8+	Communication, services received, care outcome, staff, waiting time, clinic location, appointments, and conceptually unrelated items
1985	13	Dentist-patient relations, technical quality of care, access, waiting time, cost, clinic, availability, continuity, pain, staff perform expanded duties, staff-patient relations, staff technical quality, and clinical atmosphere
1984	3	Communication, understanding-acceptance, technical competence
1981	6+	Access, availability, pain, cost, quality, and conceptually unrelated items
1978	2	Latent hostility and general glorification
1975	3	Cost, convenience, and quality
1974	3	Personality, technical ability, clinic, and cost