Table 4.
Patients’ expectations towards the primary care physicians (PCPs) and their practices, according to patients’ age group
| Characteristics | <25 y | 25-65 y | >65 y | Crude p-value | Adjusted p-valuea |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Waiting time deemed acceptable | |||||
| In the waiting room (%) | 0.01 | 0.18 | |||
| ≤ 10 min | 40. 6 | 26.7 | 27.6 | ||
| 15 min | 34.4 | 42.0 | 37.8 | ||
| 20 min | 7.3 | 10.3 | 13.6 | ||
| 25 min | 4.2 | 0.9 | 1.7 | ||
| 30 min | 10.4 | 16.6 | 16.3 | ||
| ≥ 35 min | 3.1 | 3.5 | 3.1 | ||
| To get an appointment for non urgent health problems (%) | 0.09 | 0.69 | |||
| In the day | 2.1 | 6.9 | 9.3 | ||
| 1 – 2 days | 14.6 | 11.5 | 9.3 | ||
| 3 – 4 days | 20.8 | 17.3 | 14.4 | ||
| 5 – 7 days | 31.3 | 25.4 | 24.4 | ||
| 1 – 2 weeks | 20.8 | 25.7 | 27.3 | ||
| > 2 weeks | 10.4 | 13.2 | 15.3 | ||
| To get an appointment for urgent health problems (%) | 0.01 | 0.30 | |||
| < 1 h | 8.3 | 7.2 | 13.1 | ||
| In the day | 48.5 | 53.7 | 48.4 | ||
| 1 – 2 days | 33.0 | 33.3 | 31.0 | ||
| ≥ 3 days | 10.3 | 5.8 | 7.5 | ||
| To be able to speak to the PCP on the telephone (%) | <0.001 | 0.06 | |||
| No waiting time | 7.3 | 6.9 | 13.8 | ||
| < 1 h | 17.7 | 15.5 | 24.1 | ||
| In the day | 57.3 | 58.2 | 49.5 | ||
| 1 day | 11.5 | 14.3 | 8.5 | ||
| ≥ 2 days | 6.3 | 5.2 | 4.2 | ||
| Number of interruptions of the consultation related to phone calls deemed acceptable (%) | <0.001 | 0.81 | |||
| 0 | 9.3 | 13.9 | 5.6 | ||
| 1 | 66.0 | 63.7 | 65.8 | ||
| ≥ 2 | 24.7 | 22.4 | 28.6 | ||
| Importance of having a laboratory in the practice (mean (SD)) | |||||
| Patients consulting PCP with a laboratory | 3.2 (1.2) | 3.6 (1.5) | 4.0 (1.3) | <0.001* | 0.30 |
| Patients consulting PCP without a laboratory | 3.1 (1.2) | 2.9 (1.6) | 2.8 (1.7) | 0.78 | 0.87 |
| All the patients | 3.2 (1.2) | 3.4 (1.5) | 3.8 (1.5) | <0.001* | 0.40 |
| Importance of having x-ray equipment in the practice (mean (SD)) | |||||
| Patients consulting PCP with x-ray equipment | 3.5 (1.1) | 3.7 (1.4) | 4.0 (1.4) | 0.05** | 0.43 |
| Patients consulting PCP without x-ray equipment | 2.8 (1.3) | 2.2 (1.4) | 2.1 (1.5) | 0.01** | 0.03 |
| All the patients | 3.1 (1.2) | 2.8 (1.5) | 2.8 (1.7) | 0.07 | 0.10 |
| Importance of wearing a white coat during the consultation (mean (SD)) | |||||
| Patients consulting PCP wearing a white coat | 2.6 (1.5) | 2.8 (1.6) | 3.1 (1.7) | 0.001* | 0.03 |
| Patients consulting PCP not wearing a white coat | 2.2 (1.4) | 2.0 (1.4) | 1.9 (1.4) | 0.50 | 0.32 |
| All the patients | 2.4 (1.5) | 2.5 (1.6) | 2.8 (1.7) | 0.01** | 0.04 |
| Importance of washing his hands (mean (SD)) | 4.7 (0.7) | 4.6 (0.9) | 4.5 (1.0) | 0.17 | 0.29 |
| Importance of the cleanliness of the practice (mean (SD)) | 4.5 (0.8) | 4.6 (0.8) | 4.7 (0.7) | 0.04** | 0.01 |
| Importance that the PCP is accessible by phone 24 h a day (mean (SD)) | |||||
| Patients consulting PCP accessible 24 h a day | 2.1 (1.2) | 2.1 (1.3) | 2.5 (1.5) | 0.03 | 0.10 |
| Patients consulting PCP not accessible 24 h a day | 2.2 (1.2) | 2.1 (1.3) | 2.3 (1.5) | 0.05 | 0.09 |
| All the patients | 2.2 (1.2) | 2.1 (1.3) | 2.4 (1.5) | 0.002** | 0.02 |
| Importance that the PCP is accessible by phone the week-end during the day (mean (SD) | |||||
| Patients consulting PCP accessible 24 h a day | 2.4 (1.1) | 2.1 (1.3) | 2.3 (1.5) | 0.05 | 0.34 |
| Patients consulting PCP not accessible 24 h a day | 2.2 (1.2) | 2.0 (1.3) | 2.1 (1.4) | 0.52 | 0.19 |
| All the patients | 2.3 (1.1) | 2.0 (1.3) | 2.2 (1.4) | 0.05 | 0.10 |
| Importance that the PCP makes home visits (mean (SD)) | |||||
| Patients consulting PCP accessible 24 h a day | 2.2 (1.3) | 2.9 (1.4) | 3.5 (1.4) | <0.001* | 0.01 |
| Patients consulting PCP not accessible 24 h a day | 2.4 (1.3) | 2.3 (1.3) | 3.1 (1.6) | <0.001* | 0.65 |
| All the patients | 2.3 (1.3) | 2.7 (1.4) | 3.4 (1.5) | <0.001* | 0.02 |
| Importance that the PCP makes home visits 24 h a day (mean (SD)) | |||||
| Patients consulting PCP accessible 24 h a day | 1.6 (1.0) | 2.6 (1.5) | 2.6 (1.5) | 0.10 | 0.56 |
| Patients consulting PCP not accessible 24 h a day | 1.7 (1.1) | 1.6 (1.0) | 1.8 (1.3) | 0.001 | 0.33 |
| All the patients | 1.7 (1.1) | 1.7 (1.1) | 1.9 (1.3) | 0.01 | 0.18 |
| Importance that the PCP makes home visits 24 h the week-end during the day (mean (SD) | |||||
| Patients consulting PCP accessible 24 h a day | 2.0 (1.0) | 2.2 (1.2) | 2.3 (1.5) | 0.81 | 0.32 |
| Patients consulting PCP not accessible 24 h a day | 1.9 (1.1) | 1.7 (1.1) | 1.8 (1.3) | 0.20 | 0.44 |
| All the patients | 1.9 (1.0) | 1.8 (1.1) | 1.9 (1.3) | 0.09 | 0.40 |
*p-value for linear trend < 0.001, **p-value for linear trend < 0.05 et ≥ 0.001
aadjusted for all doctor and patient variables listed in Table 6