Table 2.
GP questionnaire. Description of scales and items. (Original items are in Dutch*)
| BLOCK 1. Satisfaction with out-of-hours care organisation |
| Scale 1. Overall satisfaction with GP cooperative (Cronbach's α = 0.90; mean (SD) = 65.0 (21.6)) |
| I am very satisfied about the functioning and the structure of the GP cooperative (+) |
| I am pleased with the current GP cooperative (+) |
| I am very satisfied with the current organisation of out-of-hours primary care (+) |
| Scale 2. Current out-of-hours care is better organised than formerly (Cronbach's α = 0.92; mean (SD) = 89.8 (19.5)) |
| Out-of-hours care was better organised before the establishment of GP cooperatives (+) |
| I prefer the former organisation of out-of-hours primary care (-) |
| The current organisation of out-of-hours care is not an improvement compared to the former organisation (-) |
| BLOCK 2. Perceptions and subjective evaluations on working conditions in the present organisation |
| Scale 3. Experienced a high workload (Cronbach's α = 0.87; mean (SD) = 65.5 (18.4)) |
| The workload at the GP cooperative is too high (+) |
| Out-of-hours care during daytime on Saturday and Sunday is very aggravating (+) |
| Usually, out-of-hours service is much too aggravating (+) |
| I do not experience such a high workload at the GP cooperative (-) |
| Performing out-of-hours care is absolutely not aggravating (-) |
| Out-of-hours care during daytime in the weekends is not too high (-) |
| Scale 4. One feels safe at the cooperative (Cronbach's α = 0.87; mean (SD) = 76.9 (18.7)) |
| Sometimes, I feel unsafe at the GP cooperative during out-of-hours (-) |
| During my shifts at the GP cooperative, I never feel unsafe (+) |
| Regularly, I feel unsafe at the GP cooperative during out-of-hours (-) |
| Scale 5. One feels safe during home visits (Cronbach's α = 0.84; mean (SD) = 76.0 (18.4)) |
| Regularly, I feel unsafe when performing home visits during out-of-hours (-) |
| Sometimes, I feel unsafe when performing home visits during out-of-hours (-) |
| Usually, I feel safe when performing home visits during out-of-hours (+) |
| BLOCK 3. Opinions and beliefs on professional philosophy |
| Scale 6. Out-of-hours care is an essential part of primary care (Cronbach's α = 0.97; mean (SD) = 60.3 (31.7)) |
| These days, out-of-hours care should no longer be an essential part of primary care (-) |
| Out-of-hours care is definitely an essential part of primary care (+) |
| Out-of-hours care should always be a part of general practice (+) |
| There is no place anymore for out-of-hours care in general practice (-) |
| Scale 7. Anonymity of care is a problem (Cronbach's α = 0.90; mean (SD) = 32.9 (21.8)) |
| Because the GP of the cooperative and the patient are not familiar with each other, there is a risk for inadequate treatment (+) |
| Because of anonymity of care there is a risk that diagnostics and treatment are not adequately adjusted for the patient's needs (+) |
| One of the big disadvantages of the GP cooperative is the anonymity of care, because the GP is not familiar with the patient (+) |
| Because the GP of the cooperative and the patient are not familiar with each other, there is a risk for inadequacy of care (+) |
| Scale 8. Gatekeeper function is well guaranteed (Cronbach's α = 0.74; mean (SD) = 64.5 (16.8)) |
| I think the GP gatekeeper function at the GP cooperative is well guaranteed (+) |
| I am afraid that the GP gatekeeper function during out-of-hours will disappear (-) |
| I believe that in the near future the GP gatekeeper function will be put under too much pressure (-) |
| I think the GP gatekeeper function at the GP cooperative is well protected (+) |
| Scale 9. Availability of patient dossiers is important (Cronbach's α = 0.93; mean (SD) = 57.4 (24.1)) |
| As far as I am concerned, I do not need the availability of my colleagues' patient dossiers (-) |
| I think it is a serious problem that my colleagues' patient dossiers are not at my disposal (+) |
| The availability of patient dossiers of the other participating GPs during out-of-hours is absolutely unnecessary (-) |
| During out-of-hours I am hindered in my practice, because of lack of information about my colleagues' patients (+) |
| BLOCK 4. Evaluation of the cooperation with medical specialists at the local hospital |
| Scale 10. Cooperation with medical specialists is good (Cronbach's α = 0.94; mean (SD) = 62.7 (23.0)) |
| Sometimes, the cooperation between GPs and medical specialists is not so good (-) |
| I think that during out-of-hours the understanding between GPs and medical specialists is sometimes pretty bad (-) |
| I think that during out-of-hours the cooperation between GPs and medical specialists is always fine (+) |
| Generally, the cooperation between myself and the medical specialists of the hospital is good (+) |
* The provisional translation into English is meant to inform the reader of the content of the scales and cannot be seen as a definite one.