How do GPs in Switzerland perceive their patients’ satisfaction and expectations? An observational study

Abstract

ObjectivesTo assess doctors’ perceptions of their patients’ satisfaction and expectations in primary care.Study designCross-sectional study using questionnaires completed by general practitioners (GPs) and their patients.SettingPrimary care practices in Geneva, Switzerland.Participants23 GPs from a random list of 75 GPs practising in the canton of Geneva (participation rate 31%), who each recruited between 50 and 100 consecutive patients coming to the practice for a scheduled medical consultation, leading to a total of 1637 patients (participation rate: 97%, women: 63%, mean age: 54 years). Patient exclusion criteria were: new patients, those consulting in an emergency situation or suffering from disorders affecting their ability to consent, and those who did not speak French.Main outcome measuresPatients satisfaction with and expectations from the care they received in this practice; GPs perceptions of their patient's satisfaction and expectations.ResultsGPs underestimated all patient satisfaction items (p<0.001 for all items) whereas they overestimated their expectations, except for equipment (laboratory and X-ray) and some accessibility items. In a multivariate analysis to assess which GP factors were associated with correct assessment of their patients’ views, only GPs’ certification status was a significant factor.ConclusionsGPs tend to underestimate patients’ satisfaction but overestimate their expectations in primary care. These findings may help GPs to understand patients’ views in order to adequately meet their expectations and concerns.

Patient experiences and the association with organizational factors in general practice: results from the Norwegian part of the international, multi-centre, cross-sectional QUALICOPC study

“…In a recent Swiss study, a higher satisfaction rate was found in smaller practices measured by the number of GPs working in the practice, but the study did not explore the effect of the number of patients in each practice [22]. Studies on practice size are not always directly comparable between countries, as systems differ with regard to how the patient population of the individual GP is defined.…”

Concordance of Patient and Physician Perceptions of Care in an Orthopedic Clinic

“…These results differ from those of previous studies reporting significant differences in physicians' and patients' perceptions and usually involving lower patient satisfaction. [7][8][9][10]14,15 A study with a methodology close to that of the current study was conducted by Hall et al 7 They administered a satisfaction survey to patients and primary care physicians (PCPs) immediately after the visit. They concluded that PCPs had limited success in estimating patient perceptions, with patient satisfaction generally being lower than physicians' perceptions.…”

“…4 However, previous studies have shown that physician-patient perceptions differ in many aspects of care. [7][8][9][10] Most previous studies comparing physician and patient perception have been conducted in primary care clinics, and no published studies have assessed disparities in satisfaction between physicians and patients in orthopedic clinics.…”

Moterų gimdymo ir pogimdyminės priežiūros lūkesčių vertinimas moterų nuomone

“…Tuo tarpu moterų gimdymo patirčių baigtis ir įvertinimas didžiausia dalimi priklauso nuo sveikatos priežiūros specialisto [1,5,11,12,18], kuris priima gimdymą ir suteikia (arba nesuteikia) moteriai reikalingą informaciją gimdymo metu [9,10,23], bendravimo ir bendradarbiavimo aspektų [6,14,16,21] nepriklausomai nuo kultūrinių [15,19], socialinių [7], tautinių [20] ar ekonominių [20,21] skirtumų.…”