Health system values and social values of dental practitioners

To describe the social and health system values of dentists, examine the associations of essential and instrumental health system values and social values with health system values.

A random sample of Australian dentists was surveyed by mailed self-complete questionnaires in 2004 (response rate=72%, n=191).

A minority agreed with egalitarian social values (19%), while the majority endorsed the essential health system values of fair access (84%), quality of care (93%), efficiency (82%), respect for patients (90%) and patient advocacy (81%). A minority agreed with the instrumental health system values of personal responsibility (48%) and social solidarity (45%), but a majority agreed with social advocacy (73%), provider autonomy (95%), consumer sovereignty (91%) and personal security (65%). The strongest associations between essential values and instrumental values (P<0.05) were observed between the essential value of fair access and the instrumental values of social advocacy (rho=0.51) and social solidarity (rho=0.43). Egalitarian values were associated with [odds ratio; 95% CI] the essential value of fair access (2.35; 1.24-4.45) and the instrumental value of social solidarity (2.39; 1.31-4.34).

Dentists endorsed essential health system values, but varied in their support for instrumental health system values. A minority endorsed egalitarian values, which were positively associated with the essential value of fair access and the instrumental value of social solidarity. It is important to consider the role of values of key stakeholders such as providers and patients in health policy development.