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The patient-physician relationship, primary care attributes, and preventive services
Michael L Parchman1, Sandra K Burge
1Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX 78229-3900, USA. parchman@uthscsa.edu
Family Medicine
|January 8, 2004
Summary
A longer patient-physician relationship improves communication, physician knowledge, and trust, ultimately increasing the delivery of clinical preventive services for Medicare beneficiaries.
Area of Science:
- Primary Care Medicine
- Health Services Research
- Geriatric Medicine
Background:
- Sustained patient-physician relationships are crucial in family medicine.
- This study investigates the link between relationship length, primary care attributes, and preventive service delivery in Medicare beneficiaries.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the association between patient-physician relationship duration and primary care quality.
- To determine if relationship length influences the provision of clinical preventive services.
Main Methods:
- Utilized the 1993 Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey data.
- Developed primary care attribute scales via factor analysis of 17 survey questions.
- Assessed influenza vaccination, mammography, and diabetic eye exams; employed path analysis.
Main Results:
- Increased patient-physician relationship length correlated with higher scores in communication, physician's accumulated knowledge, and trust.
- Relationship length and communication predicted physician knowledge; knowledge predicted trust; trust predicted preventive service delivery.
Conclusions:
- For elderly Medicare beneficiaries, sustained patient-provider relationships foster key primary care attributes.
- Trust is significantly associated with the delivery of essential clinical preventive services.
- Preserving the patient-physician relationship is vital for healthcare quality.