title: ["Hello, doctor's office? May I talk to the doctor?" An analysis of telephone accessibility in offices of general practitioners. A survey of patients in northern Norway 1987].
abstract: In a survey among 3,739 patients belonging to 36 general practices in northern Norway, 33% reported difficult access to their local surgery by telephone. 43% reported difficulty in obtaining access to the doctor once they had obtained contact with the reception. The proportion of patients reporting problems of accessibility by telephone varied greatly, from 5 to 75%. Patients belonging to practices located in towns, with long waiting lists and many doctors, were most dissatisfied with the telephone service. Stable doctor/patient-relationships made direct contact with the doctor easier, while a scheduled time when patients could call the office made direct contact more difficult. We discuss ways to improve accessibility by telephone.
authors.affiliation: Institutt for samfunnsmedisin, Universitetet i Tromsø.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Aaraas
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Melbye
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lundevall
mesh_terms: D005194:Family Practice / Q000592:standards*; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D009664:Norway; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013689:Telephone
vernacular_title: "Hallo, er det legekontoret--kan jeg få snakke med legen?" En analyse av telefontilgjengelighet ved allmennpraktikerkontorer. Pasientundersøkelsen i Nord-Norge 1987.