Table 3.
Physician perceptions, attitudes, and satisfaction with after-hours care
| PERCEPTION | % (N/N*) |
|---|---|
| Perception of colleagues’ on-call coverage | |
| • Always or often receive on-call reports from group | 100 (19/19) |
| • Agree or strongly agree that reports clearly outline problems and dispositions | 85.7 (18/21) |
| • Agree or strongly agree that on-call physician telephones next day for urgent cases | 66.7 (14/21) |
| • Agree or strongly agree that my patients tell me they are satisfied | 19.0 (4/21) |
| • Agree or strongly agree that patients are seen and assessed in on-call clinic appropriately for semiurgent and urgent problems | 81.0 (17/21) |
| • Agree or strongly agree that advice and treatment given by on-call doctor is similar to what I would give | 81.0 (17/21) |
| • Agree or strongly agree that on-call doctor is respectful, considerate, professional to my patients | 81.0 (17/21) |
| • Satisfied with my on-call colleagues’ care of my patients | 81.0 (17/21) |
| Perception of the THAS | |
| • Agree or strongly agree that telephone triage is helpful in managing on-call duty | 47.6 (10/21) |
| • Agree or strongly agree that telephone triage gives same advice I would | 28.6 (6/21) |
| • Agree or strongly agree that the THAS is user-friendly to physicians | 33.3 (7/21) |
| • Agree or strongly agree that nurse communicates problems concisely and efficiently | 33.3 (7/21) |
| • Agree or strongly agree that the THAS calls after 10 PM should be routed to emergency department | 57.1 (12/21) |
| Perception of on-call duties | |
| • On-call services should be mandated for all physicians | 66.7 (14/21) |
| • On-call services should be a separate service remunerated differently | 95.2 (21/22) |
| • On-call services are onerous | 66.7 (14/21) |
| • Agree with a separate after-hours system for noncritical care staffed by others (eg, locum, nurse practitioner) | 70.0 (14/20) |
| • On-call obligations make family medicine less attractive to medical graduates | 76.2 (16/21) |
THAS–Telephone Health Advisory Service.
*
Not all respondents answered all questions.