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Preferences of patients for patient centred approach to consultation in primary care: observational study

Preferences of patients for patient centred approach to consultation in primary care: observational study
Preferences of patients for patient centred approach to consultation in primary care: observational study
Objective: To identify patient's preferences for patient centred consultation in general practice.
Design: Questionnaire study.
Setting: Consecutive patients in the waiting room of three doctors' surgeries.
Main outcome measures: Key domains of patient centredness from the patient perspective. Predictors of preferences for patient centredness, a prescription, and examination.
Results: 865 patients participated: 824 (95%) returned the pre-consultation questionnaire and were similar in demographic characteristic to national samples. Factor analysis identified three domains of patient preferences: communication (agreed with by 88-99%), partnership (77-87%), and health promotion (85-89%). Fewer wanted an examination (63%), and only a quarter wanted a prescription. As desire for a prescription was modestly associated with desire for good communication (odds ratio 1.20; 95% confidence interval 0.85 to 1.69), partnership (1.46; 1.01 to 2.09), and health promotion (1.61; 1.12 to 2.31) this study may have underestimated preferences for patient centredness compared with populations with stronger preferences for a prescription. Patients who strongly wanted good communication were more likely to feel unwell (very, moderately, and slightly unwell; odds ratios 1, 0.56, 0.39 respectively, z trend P<0.001), be high attenders (1.70; 1.18 to 2.44), and have no paid work (1.84; 1.21 to 2.79). Strongly wanting partnership was also related to feeling unwell, worrying about the problem, high attendance, and no paid work; and health promotion to high attendance and worry.
Conclusion: Patients in primary care strongly want a patient centred approach, with communication, partnership, and health promotion. Doctors should be sensitive to patients who have a strong preference for patient centredness-those vulnerable either psychosocially or because they are feeling unwell.
female, health, adult, design, organization & administration, questionnaires, communication, prescriptions, non-U.S.gov't, multicenter studies, male, middle aged, family practice, research support, statistics & numerical data, humans, odds ratio, physician-patient relations, England, drug, statistical, factor analysis, surgery, patient-centered care, adolescent, primary health care, patients, population, analysis, patient satisfaction, health promotion
0959-8138
468-472
Little, P.
1bf2d1f7-200c-47a5-ab16-fe5a8756a777
Everitt, H.
80b9452f-9632-45a8-b017-ceeeee6971ef
Williamson, I.
12381296-edbf-4ac5-969b-dcb559c22f27
Warner, G.
a7c8d450-67a4-46c9-ad1e-4a17d6816590
Moore, M.
1be81dad-7120-45f0-bbed-f3b0cc0cfe99
Gould, C.
09f6797c-ed02-4986-9b3c-2eba3d526b24
Ferrier, K.
34062d86-2754-479f-b77f-49687cde00e6
Payne, S.
72967c33-d094-4fbe-9ac5-1d60087fb0e7
Little, P.
1bf2d1f7-200c-47a5-ab16-fe5a8756a777
Everitt, H.
80b9452f-9632-45a8-b017-ceeeee6971ef
Williamson, I.
12381296-edbf-4ac5-969b-dcb559c22f27
Warner, G.
a7c8d450-67a4-46c9-ad1e-4a17d6816590
Moore, M.
1be81dad-7120-45f0-bbed-f3b0cc0cfe99
Gould, C.
09f6797c-ed02-4986-9b3c-2eba3d526b24
Ferrier, K.
34062d86-2754-479f-b77f-49687cde00e6
Payne, S.
72967c33-d094-4fbe-9ac5-1d60087fb0e7

Little, P., Everitt, H., Williamson, I., Warner, G., Moore, M., Gould, C., Ferrier, K. and Payne, S. (2001) Preferences of patients for patient centred approach to consultation in primary care: observational study. BMJ, 322 (7284), 468-472. (doi:10.1136/bmj.322.7284.468).

Record type: Article

Abstract

Objective: To identify patient's preferences for patient centred consultation in general practice.
Design: Questionnaire study.
Setting: Consecutive patients in the waiting room of three doctors' surgeries.
Main outcome measures: Key domains of patient centredness from the patient perspective. Predictors of preferences for patient centredness, a prescription, and examination.
Results: 865 patients participated: 824 (95%) returned the pre-consultation questionnaire and were similar in demographic characteristic to national samples. Factor analysis identified three domains of patient preferences: communication (agreed with by 88-99%), partnership (77-87%), and health promotion (85-89%). Fewer wanted an examination (63%), and only a quarter wanted a prescription. As desire for a prescription was modestly associated with desire for good communication (odds ratio 1.20; 95% confidence interval 0.85 to 1.69), partnership (1.46; 1.01 to 2.09), and health promotion (1.61; 1.12 to 2.31) this study may have underestimated preferences for patient centredness compared with populations with stronger preferences for a prescription. Patients who strongly wanted good communication were more likely to feel unwell (very, moderately, and slightly unwell; odds ratios 1, 0.56, 0.39 respectively, z trend P<0.001), be high attenders (1.70; 1.18 to 2.44), and have no paid work (1.84; 1.21 to 2.79). Strongly wanting partnership was also related to feeling unwell, worrying about the problem, high attendance, and no paid work; and health promotion to high attendance and worry.
Conclusion: Patients in primary care strongly want a patient centred approach, with communication, partnership, and health promotion. Doctors should be sensitive to patients who have a strong preference for patient centredness-those vulnerable either psychosocially or because they are feeling unwell.

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More information

Published date: 2001
Keywords: female, health, adult, design, organization & administration, questionnaires, communication, prescriptions, non-U.S.gov't, multicenter studies, male, middle aged, family practice, research support, statistics & numerical data, humans, odds ratio, physician-patient relations, England, drug, statistical, factor analysis, surgery, patient-centered care, adolescent, primary health care, patients, population, analysis, patient satisfaction, health promotion

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 61942
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/61942
ISSN: 0959-8138
PURE UUID: 07a6d700-9643-4396-82d4-7fbd64c5b174
ORCID for H. Everitt: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0001-7362-8403
ORCID for M. Moore: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-5127-4509

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 03 Sep 2008
Last modified: 16 Mar 2024 03:43

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Contributors

Author: P. Little
Author: H. Everitt ORCID iD
Author: I. Williamson
Author: G. Warner
Author: M. Moore ORCID iD
Author: C. Gould
Author: K. Ferrier
Author: S. Payne

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