Personal continuity and access in UK general practice: a qualitative study of general practitioners' and patients' perceptions of when and how they matter.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Personal continuity is a core value for family practice, but policy and performance targets emphasise other aspects of care, particularly waiting times for consultation. This study examined patient and general practitioner (GP) perceptions of the value of personal continuity and rapid access, and the relationship between them.

Methods

Qualitative analysis of semi-structured interviews with a purposive sample of 16 GPs and 32 patients in the Lothian region of Scotland, to identify whether, how, why and in which circumstances personal continuity and rapid access were valued.

Results

From the patients' perspective, what mattered was 'access to appropriate care' depending on the problem to be dealt with. For a few patients, rapid access was the only priority. F

SUBMITTER: Guthrie B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1413534 | biostudies-literature | 2006 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature