General practitioners' reactions to non-compliant patients

Objective - To examine how general practitioners (GPs) respond to patients who are non-compliant with medical advice and who doctors believe act irresponsibly towards their health. Design - Quantitative analysis of responses to questionnaire with case histories. Setting and subjects - 93 questionnaires completed by a random stratified sample of Norwegian GPs. Main outcome measures - Scores relating to GPs' feelings and choice of main and sub-strategies for further treatment of patients. Results - The respondents typically felt discouraged or unaffected by non-compliant patients, younger doctors more often felt helpless while older ones were more content, and female doctors more often than male doctors felt irritated or angry. The main strategy preferred was to give the patient a new appointment. The young, the inexperienced, and females tended more often to ask a colleague for advice or refer to a specialist. Patient-centred sub-strategies were generally preferred, especially by younger doctors. Conclusion - GPs' feelings towards and strategies for dealing with non-compliant patients vary, and the doctor's age, sex and clinical experience are central variables.