Doctor-shopping in Hong Kong: implications for quality of care.
Doctor-shopping is defined as the changing of doctors without professional referral in the same illness episode. Two surveys on samples of patients attending Government Out-Patient Departments (GOPDs) in Hong Kong in 1989 (n = 869) and 1990 (n = 901) estimated the prevalence of shopping at nearly 40%, the main reason being a persistence of symptoms. Doctor-shoppers were likely to be younger with higher expectations of health care and who expressed dissatisfaction about aspects of the present service. In Hong Kong, patients perceive western medicine to be more effective and have high expectations of the effects of western drugs, in particular, in their administration by injection. Patients should be warned about iatrogenic health risks incurred from doctor-shopping; health education programmes are needed to modify unrealistic views about quality care. Health care providers in a mixed care system should promote greater continuity of care between doctors and both the public and private sectors, and identify and resolve problems which may be responsible for discontinuity of care.
Lo
A Y
AY
Department of Community Medicine, University of Hong Kong.
Hedley
A J
AJ
Pei
G K
GK
Ong
S G
SG
Ho
L M
LM
Fielding
R
R
Cheng
K K
KK
Daniel
L
L
D000328:Adult; D003266:Continuity of Patient Care; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003710:Demography; D017050:Episode of Care; D005260:Female; D006266:Health Education; D006723:Hong Kong; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D010548:Personal Health Services / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D012017:Referral and Consultation