Swedish physicians' perspectives on work and the medical care system--III: Private practitioners on the public system.
This paper reports the results of focused interviews in 1978-1979 with Swedish physicians in private practice about the public system of medical care in Sweden. They were asked about the system as a work environment for physicians and as a system of care for patients. Respondents, who were outside the public system (although financed mainly by public mechanisms) said the public system as a place to work had advantages in its high technical quality, facilities for research and training, and the capacity to treat complicated disease; its disadvantages were said to be inefficiency, lack of communication, poor patient care, and blocked mobility for physicians without doctorates. As a system of care, its one advantage was said to be that it provided care at less out-of-pocket cost to patients; its reported disadvantages were poor quality care and a tendency to be overly comprehensive. These perspectives are discussed with respect to their structural and historical contexts.
Twaddle
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Department of Sociology, University of Missouri, Columbia 65211.
D000553:Ambulatory Care / Q000379:methods; D003142:Communication; D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000191:economics; D004501:Education, Medical; D009313:National Health Programs / Q000458:organization & administration*; D011331:Private Practice; D011787:Quality of Health Care; D012106:Research; D013548:Sweden