Comparing patients' and physicians' opinions on quality outpatient care

The objective of this study was to compare the opinions of patients and physicians on the importance of discrete elements of health care as determinants of the quality of outpatient care. A survey was conducted on patients and physicians of a military hospital in Ankara, Turkey. Participants rated 60 elements of care on its importance to high-quality care on a 5-point scale (not important [1] to essential [5]). These elements covered eight domains: physician clinical skill, physician interpersonal skill, outpatient clinic support staff, outpatient clinic environment, provision of health-related information, patient involvement in care, access to care, and coordination of care. Patients and physicians agreed that clinical skill and interpersonal skill of the physician are the most crucial elements of quality health care, but they disagreed about the relative importance of access to care, coordination of care, and provision of information. Patients placed greater value on these domains than did physicians.