Services production and patient satisfaction in primary care

Area of Science:

• Healthcare research
• Public health policy
• General practice

Background:

• Norway's primary physician service operates under a general practitioner scheme, granting citizens the right to choose a regular physician.
• Significant variations exist among physicians in their service production levels.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of differing physician service production on patient satisfaction with primary care services.
• To determine if variations in physician workload influence patient perceptions of care quality.

Main Methods:

• Patient satisfaction data collected via a population survey, assessing satisfaction with appointment waiting times, physician-patient interaction time, and perceived seriousness of medical concerns.
• Survey data linked with physician service production, measured as the number of consultations per registered patient.

Main Results:

• A strong positive association observed between higher general practitioner service production and increased patient satisfaction with waiting times for appointments.
• No significant association found between service production levels and patient satisfaction concerning the time spent with the physician or the perceived seriousness of their medical issues.

Conclusions:

• Physician service production is a key factor influencing patient satisfaction, particularly regarding appointment accessibility.
• Findings offer valuable insights for shaping future health manpower policies for primary physician services in Norway.