[Quality care in primary care: the importance of patients' reports]

Patients' evaluation of care is an important element of quality of care, especially for patients with chronic conditions. Our objective was to expose physicians in training to a quality improvement program and study how continuity of care could influence patients' experience of care. Physicians in training valued this approach, but deplored no to be actively involved in its planning. They also underlined the importance of keeping physicians' individual results absolutely confidential. Positive patients' reports toward communication and physician-patient relationship were associated with longer duration of follow-up at the medical outpatient clinic. Following this project, several changes have been made to improve aspects of care that were problematic.