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[Quality of general practice as experienced by patients]
O J Kvamme1, L Sandvik, P Hjortdahl
1Stiftelse for helsetjenesteforskning, Sentralsykehuset i Akershus, Nordbyhagen.
Summary
Feedback on patient-assessed quality of care did not significantly improve general practice performance. General practitioners (GPs) welcomed evaluations but doubted their impact due to time and energy constraints.
Area of Science:
- Healthcare Quality Improvement
- General Practice Management
- Patient Satisfaction Studies
Background:
- Patient evaluations of healthcare services are increasingly used to assess quality.
- Understanding the impact of this feedback on general practitioners (GPs) is crucial for effective quality improvement.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effect of providing patient-assessed quality feedback to general practices.
- To explore GPs' perceptions and potential actions following patient quality evaluations.
Main Methods:
- 1,614 patients from 41 general practices rated their care quality over 12 months.
- Practice-specific results were compared to the mean, and feedback was provided to GPs.
- Questionnaires and telephone interviews gathered GPs' opinions on the feedback process.
Main Results:
- GPs appreciated patient quality evaluations and comparative data.
- However, GPs expressed skepticism about the feedback's potential to drive changes due to resource limitations.
- Concerns were raised regarding the objectivity of patient assessments and reluctance to share feedback internally.
Conclusions:
- Feedback reports based on patient-assessed quality at the practice level did not demonstrate effectiveness in driving quality improvement.
- Further research may be needed to explore barriers and facilitators for implementing patient feedback in primary care settings.