The role of gynaecologists in women's health care--women's views.
OBJECTIVE
Reproductive matters are common reasons to use health services, and both primary care providers (general practitioners and public health nurses) and specialists (gynaecologists) can be consulted. The purpose of this study was to find out how Finnish women think about and use specialist care in reproductive matters; gynaecological health checks, contraception, and prenatal care served as examples.


METHODS
The data come from a questionnaire survey sent in 1994 to a representative sample (74% response rate) of 18-44-year-old Finnish women (n=2189).


RESULTS
Most (87%) women considered regular health checks by a gynaecologist important, and 55% had visited a gynaecologist regularly in the past 5 years. Healthier women and women having more education were more likely to visit gynaecologists regularly. Most women (86%) preferred a gynaecologist to a general practitioner for contraceptive matters, and 54% reported visiting one for their last contraceptive visit. Maternity centres with their public health nurses and general practitioners were the main source of prenatal care.


CONCLUSIONS
The results suggest the need to study the benefits of regular gynaecological health checks, and to define the best provider in common reproductive matters. Evaluation should include organizational impacts, such as those of the division of work between primary and secondary health care and small area population responsibility.
National Research and Development Centre for Welfare and Health, Health Services Research Unit, Helsinki, Finland. elina.hemminki@stakes.fi
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Hemminki
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Sihvo
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Koponen
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Perälä
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland; D006176:Gynecology; D006801:Humans; D009774:Obstetrics; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D017060:Patient Satisfaction / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011295:Prenatal Care; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016387:Women's Health