Title Gydytojo lyties ir amžiaus įtaka pacientų pasitenkinimui pirminės sveikatos priežiūros paslaugomis /
Translation of Title Gender and age of the general practitioner as a factor in patient satisfaction with primary health care services.
Authors Kavalnienė, Rima ; Deksnytė, Aušra ; Kasiulevičius, Vytautas ; Šapoka, Virginijus ; Aranauskas, Ramūnas ; Aranauskas, Lukas
DOI 10.5200/sm-hs.2018.016
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Is Part of Sveikatos mokslai.. Vilnius : Sveikatos mokslai. 2018, T. 28, nr. 2, p. 34-40.. ISSN 1392-6373. eISSN 2335-867X
Keywords [eng] satisfaction ; primary health care ; physician gender ; physician age
Abstract [eng] Background. Personal family doctor’s qualities affect the formation of patients’ attitudes, their satisfaction with healthcare services and their expectations related to these services. Male and female general practitioners spend their consultation time focusing on different things, also the duration of their consultation are different. Meanwhile, there is a dearth of studies analysing the effect of the doctor’s age on patient satisfaction with primary healthcare (PHC) services. This lack of data stimulated us to carry out study with the main aim to determine the associations of the gender and age of the family doctor with patients’ satisfaction with PHC services. Methods. The survey of patients was carried out at PHC institutions in Vilnius, Lithuania, during 2016-2017. The respondents were asked to fill out a questionnaire that included information on the patients’ and general practitioner`s gender and age. They were also requested to indicate which gender and age bracket they would prefer their doctor to belong to. Patient satisfaction was evaluated by using short version of the Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire (PSQ-18). Statistical data analysis was conducted using the ‘Statistical Package for Social Sciences’, version 24.0. All relations were further subjected to ordinal regression analysis. Results. In total, 581 patients filled out the questionnaire. In the female doctor group there were better total PSQ-18 score as well as subscale ratings such as Interpersonal Manner, Communication, Time Spent with Doctor, Accessibility and Convenience. In assessing the compatibility between the genders of doctor and patient, there is a difference in Interpersonal Manner and Time Spent with Doctor subscales: the lowest ratings were in the male doctor + male patient group; the ratings were somewhat better in the male doctor + female patient group, even better in the female doctor + male patient group, and best of all in the female doctor + female patient group. The general practitioner`s age of over-51-years was associated with a lower total PSQ-18 score and lower scores in all seven subscales. The strongest differences are found in the Communication and Time Spent with Doctor subscales. Only a tenth of patients who visit doctors over-51-years age do not want a younger doctor. Ordinal regression analysis shows that the correlation between a doctor’s age and patient satisfaction remains: the younger the patients perceive the doctor to be, the more favourably they assess the PHC services received, meanwhile, any relationship between the doctor’s gender and patient satisfaction disappears. Conclusions. Better evaluation of PSP services relates to the younger age of counseling doctors. Patients are particularly satisfied with the younger doctors` communication skills time of consultation. Patient satisfaction with primary healthcare services is associated with the age of the doctor: patients who go to younger GP give the better assessments. Although there was also a link between the female doctor and better patient satisfaction with PSP services, this relationship has become statistically insignificant in the regression analysis.
Published Vilnius : Sveikatos mokslai
Type Journal article
Language Lithuanian
Publication date 2018