People want doctors to give more preventive care. A qualitative study of health care consumers.
BACKGROUND
We studied health care consumers' perspectives on provision of preventive care by physicians.


METHODS
In our qualitative study, we used the grounded theory method and a computerized text-base program (Nota Bene) to analyze 34 focus group interviews with 322 adults from a small Southern town and adjacent rural areas.


RESULTS
Based on our analysis of comments on prevention, we found seven reasons for going to the doctor: response to reminders, periodic examination, response to media messages, attempt to resolve conflicting information, concern about family pathology, attempt to allay anxiety, and illness. In addition, using respondents' comments, we developed a conceptual scheme of four levels of physicians' preventive care: (1) prevention needed, but physician offers no care; (2) physician merely recommends an intervention; (3) physician recommends and suggests ways to implement; and (4) physician recommends, gives implementation suggestions, and offers supportive follow-up. Physicians are more inclined to offer preventive care to patients who manifest pathology than to those who do not.


CONCLUSIONS
This conceptual scheme, reflecting patient perspectives, can help primary care physicians fit their styles of practice to different types of patients.
Cogswell
B
B
Department of Family Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Eggert
M S
MS
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005194:Family Practice; D005260:Female; D006293:Health Promotion; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009657:North Carolina; D009819:Office Visits; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care; D010358:Patient Participation; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations