Table II.
Responders versus non-responders: GP satisfaction
| VARIABLE | Respondents who wrote free-text comments (N=256) (Number/percent) |
Respondents who did not wrote free-text comments (N=210) (Number/percent) |
P-value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Degree of satisfaction with initial help from GPs (for ME) | 255 (99 %) | 204 (97 %) | 0.01+ |
| - To a large extent | 18 % | 23 % | |
| - To some extent | 22 % | 33 % | |
| - To a little extent | 32 % | 25 % | |
| - Not at all | 29 % | 19 % | |
| Degree of satisfaction with help from current GP (for ME) * | 240 (94 %) | 185 (88 %) | 0.07+ |
| - To a large extent | 20 % | 25 % | |
| - To some extent | 54 % | 57 % | |
| - To a little extent | 23 % | 15 % | |
| - Not at all | 3 % | 3 % | |
| Test of equal distribution: satisfaction with initial versus current help | 240 (94 %) | 185 (88 %) | >0.001§ |
+ Mann-Whitney U Test (2-tailed)
§ Wilcoxon Signed-Rank Test (2-tailed)
* Proxy measure; median result of seven combined measures that used the same (4 point) Likert scale: In relation to ME/CFS/PVFS, in the last 12 months has your current GP 1) taken you and your issues seriously, 2) respected what is important to you as a patient, 3) shown a mutual understanding of your illness, 4) listened closely to what you have to say, 5) sought approval for decision making, 6) provided advice for problems, and 7) provided understandable information?