Table 5.
Patients’ expectations towards the primary care physicians (PCPs) and their practices, according to type of practice
| Characteristics | Solo | Duo | Group | Crude p-value | Adjusted p-valuea |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Waiting time deemed acceptable | |||||
| In the waiting room (%) | 0.16 | <0.001 | |||
| ≤ 10 min | 28.5 | 26.2 | 30.5 | ||
| 15 min | 42.1 | 40.4 | 37.0 | ||
| 20 min | 12.0 | 12.3 | 9.5 | ||
| 25 min | 1.1 | 1.0 | 2.1 | ||
| 30 min | 13.8 | 17.1 | 16.4 | ||
| ≥ 35 min | 2.5 | 3.0 | 4.6 | ||
| To get an appointment for non urgent health problems (%) | 0.19 | 0.87 | |||
| In the day | 7.9 | 6.4 | 9.0 | ||
| 1 – 2 days | 9.2 | 12.2 | 12.2 | ||
| 3 – 4 days | 15.1 | 17.0 | 17.5 | ||
| 5 – 7 days | 24.7 | 23.2 | 27.1 | ||
| 1 – 2 weeks | 28.5 | 26.2 | 22.7 | ||
| > 2 weeks | 14.6 | 15.0 | 11.6 | ||
| To get an appointment for urgent health problems (%) | 0.01 | 0.01 | |||
| < 1 h | 7.7 | 6.9 | 13.3 | ||
| In the day | 51.5 | 53.6 | 48.9 | ||
| 1 – 2 days | 34.5 | 32.4 | 31.0 | ||
| ≥ 3 days | 6.4 | 7.1 | 6.9 | ||
| To be able to speak to the PCP on the telephone (%) | 0.01 | 0.39 | |||
| No waiting time | 9.9 | 7.9 | 10.6 | ||
| < 1 h | 17.5 | 16.1 | 22.6 | ||
| In the day | 57.5 | 57.8 | 48.7 | ||
| 1 day | 12.0 | 11.8 | 13.7 | ||
| ≥ 2 days | 3.2 | 6.4 | 4.4 | ||
| Number of interruptions of the consultation related to phone calls deemed acceptable (%) | 0.01 | 0.71 | |||
| 0 | 9.3 | 11.3 | 11.7 | ||
| 1 | 65.0 | 68.1 | 59.1 | ||
| ≥ 2 | 25.7 | 20.6 | 29.2 | ||
| Importance of having a laboratory in the practice (mean (SD)) | |||||
| Patients consulting PCP with a laboratory | 3.3 (1.5) | 3.9 (1.4) | 3.8 (1.4) | <0.001* | 0.21 |
| Patients consulting PCP without a laboratory | 3.5 (0.9) | 2.5 (1.5) | 3.9 (1.3) | <0.001* | 0.01 |
| All the patients | 3.3 (1.5) | 3.4 (1.6) | 3.8 (1.4) | <0.001* | 0.25 |
| Importance of having x-ray equipment in the practice (mean (SD)) | |||||
| Patients consulting PCP with x-ray equipment | 3.3 (1.5) | 3.3 (1.4) | 4.0 (1.3) | <0.001* | 0.18 |
| Patients consulting PCP without x-ray equipment | 2.2 (1.4) | 2.2 (1.4) | 2.4 (1.5) | 0.50 | 0.004 |
| All the patients | 2.7 (1.6) | 2.4 (1.4) | 3.4 (1.6) | <0.001* | 0.19 |
| Importance of wearing a white coat during the consultation (mean (SD)) | |||||
| Patients consulting PCP wearing a white coat | 3.1 (1.7) | 2.8 (1.6) | 2.8 (1.6) | 0.02** | <0.001 |
| Patients consulting PCP not wearing a white coat | 1.8 (1.2) | 1.5 (1.0) | 2.5 (1.7) | <0.001* | <0.001 |
| All the patients | 2.7 (1.6) | 2.4 (1.6) | 2.7 (1.7) | 0.003 | 0.002 |
| Importance of washing his hands (mean (SD)) | 4.7 (0.8) | 4.6 (0.9) | 4.5 (1.0) | <0.001* | 0.01 |
| Importance of the cleanliness of the practice (mean (SD)) | 4.6 (0.8) | 4.6 (0.8) | 4.6 (0.7) | 0.87 | 0.10 |
| Importance that the PCP is accessible by phone 24 h a day (mean (SD)) | |||||
| Patients consulting PCP accessible 24 h a day | 2.5 (1.5) | 2.2 (1.4) | 2.2 (1.4) | 0.16 | 0.03 |
| Patients consulting PCP not accessible 24 h a day | 2.2 (1.4) | 1.9 (1.2) | 2.5 (1.5) | <0.001 | <0.001 |
| All the patients | 2.3 (1.4) | 2.0 (1.2) | 2.3 (1.4) | <0.001 | 0.10 |
| Importance that the PCP is accessible by phone the week-end during the day (mean (SD) | |||||
| Patients consulting PCP accessible | 2.2 (1.4) | 2.1 (1.3) | 2.2 (1.4) | 0.57 | 0.15 |
| Patients consulting PCP not accessible | 2.2 (1.3) | 1.9 (1.2) | 2.3 (1.4) | 0.002 | 0.02 |
| All the patients | 2.2 (1.4) | 1.9 (1.2) | 2.2 (1.4) | <0.001 | 0.13 |
| Importance that the PCP makes home visits (mean (SD)) | |||||
| Patients consulting PCP accessible 24 h a day | 3.3 (1.4) | 2.9 (1.4) | 3.0 (1.5) | 0.001** | 0.08 |
| Patients consulting PCP not accessible 24 h a day | 2.7 (1.4) | 2.5 (1.4) | 2.4 (1.5) | 0.40 | 0.12 |
| All the patients | 3.2 (1.4) | 2.9 (1.4) | 2.8 (1.5) | <0.001* | 0.04 |
| Importance that the PCP makes home visits 24 h a day (mean (SD)) | |||||
| Patients consulting PCP accessible 24 h a day | 2.1 (1.4) | NA | 2.5 (1.5) | 0.40 | 0.65 |
| Patients consulting PCP not accessible 24 h a day | 1.8 (1.2) | 1.6 (1.0) | 1.6 (1.1) | 0.03** | 0.01 |
| All the patients | 1.8 (1.2) | 1.6 (1.0) | 1.8 (1.2) | 0.003 | 0.14 |
| 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 | 2.2 (1.3) | NA | NA | NA | NA |
| Patients consulting PCP not accessible 24 h a day | 1.8 (1.2) | 1.7 (1.1) | 1.9 (1.2) | 0.02 | 0.22 |
| All the patients | 1.9 (1.3) | 1.7 (1.1) | 1.9 (1.2) | 0.001 | 0.04 |
*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