The Most Important Factors For The Initial Choice Of Primary Care

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(Y.T. Wun et al., pg. 1215) 1. The most important factor for choosing a doctor was proximity to home or workplace, followed by quick relief from the illnesses. 2. Convenient accessibility was the most important factor for the initial choice of primary care doctors by the general public. 3. Some studies on patients’ decision to choose their primary care doctors show that being able to choose their own doctor is associated with increased patient satisfaction, trust in the doctor, staying longer with the doctor and good quality health care.

(Y.T. Wun et al., pg. 1216) 1. Convenience is the rule for some participants; they went to any doctor nearby, either close to home or workplace. 2. Asking friends or relatives for recommendation was an alternative. 3. Getting relief from symptoms appeared to be the most important factor for attending the same doctor again.

(Y.T. Wun et al., pg. 1217)
Factor analysis showed that these factors could be grouped into four components: 1. Physical and psychological care (initial care for all illnesses, mental health care). 2. Accessibility (suitable hours, location of the clinic, inexpensive fee, seeing the doctor for long time). 3. Quick relief (potent drug, little delay in attendance). 4. Family members seen by the same doctor (doctor taking care of other family members, assigned by company/insurance) – family members are often covered by the same schema provided by the employer or have medical insurance from the same company.

(Y.T. Wun et al., pg. 1218) 1. People choose their doctors initially on convenience or on recommendation by their friends or relatives. 2. Convenience (in terms of hours of practice, distance from home and seeing doctor without much delay) were regarded as important by the majority. However, a strong doctor-patient relationship reduced this importance and the patient would tolerate some inconvenience. 3. Patients considered medical fee as important in choosing a doctor, but with a slightly lower priority. This is obvious from the fact that the government and insurance-appointed clinics (that charged much less from the patient’s pockets than the private clinics) were mainly the last choices.

BORNSTEIN, MARCUS, & CASSIDY IN JOURNAL OF EVALUATION IN CLINICAL PRACTICE 6 (2000):

Page 255: 1. Participants perceived professionally relevant factors (e.g. whether the doctor is board certified, office appearance) and management practices (e.g. time to get an appointment, evening and weekend hours) as more important than the doctor’s personal characteristics (race, age, gender, etc.). 2. Factors patients perceive as most important to their choice of a PCD are also those that have the greatest effect on the quality of healthcare they will receive. However, they do not always have access to this information. A better understanding of the factors that influence people’s choice of a PCD can contribute to efforts to provide them with the resources to make well-informed decisions in selecting among healthcare options.

Page 256: 1. The first decisions that patients must make; that is, the choice of a primary care doctor (PCD). Often, consumers make this decision in conjunction with choosing a particular health plan. 2. A pair of British studies found that the most commonly cited factor in choosing a new doctor was convenience. Recommendations from others were also influential. 3. Factors in choosing a doctor, but most of them concerned office organization and omitted indicators of doctor’s expertise. 4. A better understanding of the factors that influence people’s choice of healthcare providers would potentially provide them with the resources to make better choices in this arena and consequently attain greater satisfaction with their healthcare status.

Page 258: 1. The variable that participants deemed most important to their choice of a PCD was whether or not the doctor was
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