Patient experience and the role of postgraduate GP training: a cross-sectional analysis of national Patient Survey data in England |
| |
Authors: | Mark Ashworth Peter Schofield Stevo Durbaba Sanjiv Ahluwalia |
| |
Affiliation: | Department of Primary Care and Public Health Sciences, King’s College London School of Medicine;;Department of Primary Care and Public Health Sciences, King’s College London School of Medicine;;Department of Primary Care and Public Health Sciences, King’s College London School of Medicine;;London School of General Practice, London. |
| |
Abstract: | BackgroundQuality indicators for primary care focus predominantly on the public health model and organisational measures. Patient experience is an important dimension of quality. Accreditation for GP training practices requires demonstration of a series of attributes including patient-centred care.AimThe national GP Patient Survey (GPPS) was used to determine the characteristics of general practices scoring highly in responses relating to the professional skills and characteristics of doctors. Specifically, to determine whether active participation in postgraduate GP training was associated with more positive experiences of care.Design and settingRetrospective cross-sectional study in general practices in England.MethodData were obtained from the national QOF dataset for England, 2011/12 (8164 general practices); the GPPS in 2012 (2.7 million questionnaires in England; response rate 36%); general practice and demographic characteristics. Sensitivity analyses included local data validated by practice inspections. Outcome measures: multilevel regression models adjusted for clustering.ResultsGP training practice status (29% of practices) was a significant predictor of positive GPPS responses to all questions in the ‘doctor care’ (n = 6) and ‘overall satisfaction’ (n = 2) domains but not to any of the ‘nurse care’ or ‘out-of-hours’ domain questions. The findings were supported by the sensitivity analyses. Other positive determinants were: smaller practice and individual GP list sizes, more older patients, lower social deprivation and fewer ethnic minority patients.ConclusionBased on GPPS responses, doctors in GP training practices appeared to offer more patient-centred care with patients reporting more positively on attributes of doctors such as ‘listening’ or ‘care and concern’. |
| |
Keywords: | medical education primary health care quality indicators |
|
|