More time and better continuity improve outcome at general practice consultations

The definition and measurement of quality of care in general practice is set to maintain a high profile. On p 738, Howie et al have identified the principal correlates to their patient enablement instrument. At consultation level, the principal correlates for English speaking patients were how long the consultation lasted and how well the patient knew the doctor. Patients who spoke languages other than English reported higher levels of enablement for generally shorter consultations than English speaking patients. For doctors working in a smaller practice seemed advantageous. These findings have implications for the organisation of general practice. The authors recommend incentives to reward doctors who spend more time at consultations, and provide greater continuity of care. The cultural differences require further study.

CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    StumbleUpon    Technorati    What's this?

Relevant Article

Quality at general practice consultations: cross sectional survey

John G R Howie, David J Heaney, Margaret Maxwell, Jeremy J Walker, George K Freeman, and Harbinder Rai
BMJ 1999 319: 738-743. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]