TABLE 2.
Dimensions of primary healthcare important to the public
| Primary Health Care Dimensions | Examples (Quotations) | Total Text Units |
|---|---|---|
| Accessibility (total) | 130 | |
| Timeliness of scheduling an appointment | “Getting services in a timely manner is the greatest thing we can hope for” (NH); “I don't mind if it's something that's not pressing for a week, but generally I think getting an appointment within two to four days [is acceptable]” (VCH). | 69 |
| Geographic accessibility | “I needed physical therapy on my foot in order to qualify for my worker's insurance … however, I had to go to Prince George [where many of the health services are centralized] in the middle of winter. … I refused to go because I'm not driving the highway with something wrong with my foot in the middle of winter” (NH). | 61 |
| Continuity (total) | 99 | |
| Information | “Why doesn't the hospital have access to the files at my doctor's office and how come the doctor's office can't access the hospital computer?” (VIHA); “… having one computer system where if I was ill in a different part of the province they could look me up, my history … that would be wonderful” (NH). | 44 |
| Relationship | “That's why I don't really like to go to walk-in clinics because you get a different doctor all the time. … they give you a different treatment – sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't” (IH). | 35 |
| Management | “… it's no good seeing somebody different every time. … you start all over again, they change your medication. … it's important to have ongoing care” (all focus groups); “I had my purse stolen, all my medication was stolen … but I couldn't get in to see my doctor to get the prescriptions replaced. I had to see another doctor and he refused to give me my medications. … I had to wait to see my regular doctor” (VIHA). | 20 |
| Responsiveness (time waiting in office, time spent with provider) | “… the timing is the worse thing … it doesn't matter if you make the first appointment of the day, I know I'll wait” (NH); “I had three little minor issues, I mentioned the first and he [doctor] gave me a prescription. I went on to mention the second and third one and he said, ‘Sorry, only one complaint per visit now, you'll have to make another’ [appointment]” (VIHA); “… they take you in and kick you out as fast as they [doctors] can” (IH). | 97 |
| Interpersonal communication | “He [the doctor] wasn't taking certain things seriously. … he was kind of treating me like I had no real concerns” (VCH); “I was being treated … but my problem wasn't being addressed, so I get this new doctor who is questioning very seriously, he gives me a new prescription and my problem changed right around” (IH). | 63 |
| Technical effectiveness | 46 | |
| Whole-person care | “I would rather do natural stuff, so, even though my doctor is not a big promoter of the natural stuff, he will sometimes suggest it. He knows some of my beliefs and how I feel as a person, not just [see me] as another patient” (NH). | 37 |
| Other areas of importance | ||
| Additional PHC providers | “I'd back my midwife 100% for anybody having a baby. … if they're properly trained, there's absolutely no reason why they can't practice …” (VIHA). | 94 |
| System efficiencies (e.g., drug refills, doctor's notes, employer-required visits) | “… you can only get a prescription for three months, so every three months you have to go back even though it's an ongoing prescription” (NH); “… one of the forms I had to get filled out cost $130 and I had to pay, in cash, before I could get it …” (VIHA). | 43 |