Are two doctors better than one? Women's physician use and appropriate care.
This study examines nonelderly women's concurrent use of two types of physicians (generalists and obstetrician-gynecologists) for regular health care and associations with receipt of preventive care, including a range of recommended screening, counseling, and heart disease prevention services. Data are from the 1999 Women's Health Care Experiences Survey conducted in Baltimore, Maryland, using random digit dialing (N = 509 women ages 18 to 64). Key findings are: 58% of women report using two physicians (a generalist and an ob/gyn) for regular care; seeing both a generalist and an ob/gyn, compared with seeing a generalist alone, is consistently associated with receiving more clinical preventive services, including screening, counseling, and preventive services related to heart disease. Because seeing an ob/gyn in addition to a generalist physician is associated with receiving recommended preventive services (even for heart disease), the findings suggest that non-elderly women who rely on a generalist alone may receive substandard preventive care. The implications for women's access to ob/gyns and for appropriate design of women's primary care are discussed.
Henderson
Jillian T
JT
Department of Health Management and Policy, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, USA.
Weisman
Carol S
CS
Grason
Holly
H
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D015142:Baltimore / Q000453:epidemiology; D005194:Family Practice / Q000592:standards; D005260:Female; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008875:Middle Aged; D009774:Obstetrics / Q000592:standards; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011314:Preventive Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D016387:Women's Health