[Customer orientation in ambulant medicine].

Area of Science:

• Health Services Research
• Medical Sociology

Background:

• The evolving health market increasingly emphasizes economic aspects, treating patients as customers and doctors as service providers.
• Existing research on customer orientation in outpatient medicine has not kept pace with these market dynamics.

Purpose of the Study:

• To understand doctors' attitudes towards customer orientation in healthcare.
• To analyze the implications of these attitudes for the doctor-patient relationship and healthcare practice.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative analysis of guideline-supported, partly narrative interviews.
• Conducted with 9 gynaecologists and 11 general practitioners in Freiburg, Germany.

Main Results:

• Doctors perceive patient satisfaction as crucial for practice management but resist the roles of 'salesman' or viewing patients strictly as 'customers'.
• Findings highlight a tension between doctors' desire for autonomy and their increasing dependency on patient satisfaction.

Conclusions:

• The study confirms the suitability of qualitative interviews for capturing doctors' perspectives on customer orientation.
• Doctors acknowledge the growing importance of customer orientation, the doctor-patient conversation, and the ethical risks involved.
• The traditional paternalistic doctor role is shifting towards a customer-focused service provider, creating potential conflicts.