A survey of patient expectations in primary care

Abstract

Objective: To document and compare patients' needs and desires in relation to primary care in European countries and select indicators of quality of care to be used in future assessment instrument. Type of study: Cross-sectional study of patients' priorities in relation to primary care. Location: Health Centers of the subregions of Aveiro, Castelo Branco, Coimbra, Guarda, Viseu and Leiria. Population: Users of 12 health centers with at least 18 years of age and able to understand English without difficulty. Methodology: Survey by anonymous questionnaire. A total of 290 users gave us their priorities regarding 40 aspects of care, grouped into five chapters or measurement domains: medical-technical care, doctor-patient relationship, information / support, availability / accessibility and organization of services. Results: The respondents of this study are characterized by a majority of women (63%), with an average age of 41 years (± 15 years), married (74%) and with a level of education higher than the average (23% of studies above). Moreover, we found a relatively high percentage of patients with migraine or other headaches chronic and strong (26%); hypertension (17%) and depression (17%). Only 16% said that their health was excellent or very good. In relation to various aspects of care, the results show that patients in primary care considered most important preventive measures and counseling, a relationship with the doctor characterized by the willingness of the patient to tell the problems and the need to feel that there is interest in it, which can be savvy about everything you want to know, including the purposes of examination or treatment, and that there is enough time to listen, speak and be understood. In addition, the physician should provide a fast service in an emergency and be willing to regularly monitor the patient's health. Conclusions: The results represent the priorities of users of health centers. It was found that these priorities are influenced by several factors including age and education level, which allows us to explain some variation in the results. The usefulness of these results may show up in two ways: work as a starting point for the interpretation of the results of satisfaction surveys and on the other hand, are a good indicator, regardless of satisfaction, evaluate the participation and involvement of citizens face services of care.