Skip to main content
NCBI home page
The British Journal of General Practice logoLink to The British Journal of General Practice
. 1995 Feb;45(391):79–81.

Reported satisfaction among women receiving hormone replacement therapy in a dedicated general practice clinic and in a normal consultation.

P J Roberts
PMCID: PMC1239140  PMID: 7702887

Abstract

BACKGROUND. A general practice-based hormone replacement therapy clinic was set up in one practice following the introduction of the 1990 contract for general practitioners. The funding for this clinic was withdrawn in 1993. AIM. A study was undertaken to measure reported satisfaction with care among women receiving hormone replacement therapy in the dedicated clinic and among those receiving treatment in normal general practice consultations. METHOD. Questionnaires were sent to all women in the practice who were currently using or who had used hormone replacement therapy in the last 12 months. The questionnaire sought biographical details, and asked whether the women had had a hysterectomy, and whether they attended the clinic for their hormone replacement therapy. Women's satisfaction with their care was assessed by scoring 12 statements using a five-point Likert-type scale. RESULTS. One hundred and thirty seven women replied (80%), of whom 60% had attended the practice's clinic. Analysis of the ratings of the 12 statements revealed a significant difference between those attending the clinic for their hormone replacement therapy and those attending normal general practice consultations, suggesting that those attending the clinic rated their care more highly than those who received their hormone replacement therapy from elsewhere in the practice. CONCLUSION. Patient satisfaction with care was higher among women who attended the hormone replacement therapy clinic than among those who did not. Possible reasons for this difference are discussed. Research in other practices may determine whether this finding is more widespread. General practitioners are having to balance the short- and long-term benefits of running such clinics against the resources available for them. Information about measurable benefits, such as patient satisfaction, might help with future decisions about the organization of care within general practice.

Full text

PDF
79

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Baker R. Development of a questionnaire to assess patients' satisfaction with consultations in general practice. Br J Gen Pract. 1990 Dec;40(341):487–490. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Barritt P. W., Staples E. B. Measuring success in asthma care: a repeat audit. Br J Gen Pract. 1991 Jun;41(347):232–236. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Carlberg A., Tibblin G. Patient satisfaction in primary health care. A comparative study of two modes of treatment for hypertension. Fam Pract. 1992 Sep;9(3):304–310. doi: 10.1093/fampra/9.3.304. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Charlton I., Charlton G., Broomfield J., Mullee M. A. Audit of the effect of a nurse run asthma clinic on workload and patient morbidity in a general practice. Br J Gen Pract. 1991 Jun;41(347):227–231. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Coope J., Roberts D. A clinic for the prevention of osteoporosis in general practice. Br J Gen Pract. 1990 Jul;40(336):295–299. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Draper J., Roland M. Perimenopausal women's views on taking hormone replacement therapy to prevent osteoporosis. BMJ. 1990 Mar 24;300(6727):786–788. doi: 10.1136/bmj.300.6727.786. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Farmer A. Setting up consensus standards for the care of patients in general practice. Br J Gen Pract. 1991 Apr;41(345):135–136. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Fitzpatrick R. Surveys of patient satisfaction: II--Designing a questionnaire and conducting a survey. BMJ. 1991 May 11;302(6785):1129–1132. doi: 10.1136/bmj.302.6785.1129. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Fitzpatrick R. Surveys of patients satisfaction: I--Important general considerations. BMJ. 1991 Apr 13;302(6781):887–889. doi: 10.1136/bmj.302.6781.887. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Hannay D. R., Usherwood T. P., Platts M. Practice organization before and after the new contract: a survey of general practices in Sheffield. Br J Gen Pract. 1992 Dec;42(365):517–520. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Harris R. T. Improving satisfaction through action research. J Appl Behav Sci. 1978 Jul-Aug;14(3):382–399. doi: 10.1177/002188637801400313. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Keeble B., Keeble A. Satisfaction with the NHS: what is it and can we measure it? J R Coll Gen Pract. 1989 Jul;39(324):269–270. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Koperski M. How effective is systematic care of diabetic patients? A study in one general practice. Br J Gen Pract. 1992 Dec;42(365):508–511. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Lurie N., Slater J., McGovern P., Ekstrum J., Quam L., Margolis K. Preventive care for women. Does the sex of the physician matter? N Engl J Med. 1993 Aug 12;329(7):478–482. doi: 10.1056/NEJM199308123290707. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Martys C. R. Asthma care in Darley Dale: general practitioner audit. BMJ. 1992 Mar 21;304(6829):758–760. doi: 10.1136/bmj.304.6829.758. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Morrell D. C., Evans M. E., Morris R. W., Roland M. O. The "five minute" consultation: effect of time constraint on clinical content and patient satisfaction. Br Med J (Clin Res Ed) 1986 Mar 29;292(6524):870–873. doi: 10.1136/bmj.292.6524.870. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Pringle M., Stewart-Evans C., Coupland C., Williams I., Allison S., Sterland J. Influences on control in diabetes mellitus: patient, doctor, practice, or delivery of care? BMJ. 1993 Mar 6;306(6878):630–634. doi: 10.1136/bmj.306.6878.630. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Ridsdale L., Carruthers M., Morris R., Ridsdale J. Study of the effect of time availability on the consultation. J R Coll Gen Pract. 1989 Dec;39(329):488–491. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Savage R., Armstrong D. Effect of a general practitioner's consulting style on patients' satisfaction: a controlled study. BMJ. 1990 Oct 27;301(6758):968–970. doi: 10.1136/bmj.301.6758.968. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Sensky T., Catalan J. Asking patients about their treatment. BMJ. 1992 Nov 7;305(6862):1109–1110. doi: 10.1136/bmj.305.6862.1109. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Zyzanski S. J., Hulka B. S., Cassel J. C. Scale for the measurement of "satisfaction" with medical care: modifications in content, format and scoring. Med Care. 1974 Jul;12(7):611–620. doi: 10.1097/00005650-197407000-00007. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from The British Journal of General Practice are provided here courtesy of Royal College of General Practitioners

RESOURCES