title: [Risks, chances and perspectives of restricting the free choice of doctors by patients].
abstract: Population surveys regarding free access to primary care physicians and medical specialists focus on selected aspects of public opinion. They are helpful but not sufficient in answering the relevant question: 'What are appropriate and efficient ways of access to the health care system?'. More important than survey results would be options for practical decisions by the patients themselves, based on a system offering different possibilities of choice. Competent piloting by 'gatekeepers' would need a problem- oriented and patient-centred medical education for primary-care physicians, starting during medical education and training and continuing throughout the professional medical careers. It should focus on three additional issues: New, alternative and unbiased ways of access to medical care should be developed, tried and evaluated to ensure beneficial use of the full potential of our health care system.
authors.affiliation: Universität Witten/Herdecke, Fakultät für Medizin, Germany. butzlaff@uni-wh.de
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Butzlaff
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Böcken
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Kunstmann
mesh_terms: D005544:Forecasting; D005858:Germany; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000639:trends*; D006801:Humans; D008511:Medicine / Q000639:trends; D009313:National Health Programs / Q000639:trends*; D020403:Patient Freedom of Choice Laws / Q000639:trends*; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000639:trends; D012017:Referral and Consultation / Q000639:trends; D013038:Specialization
vernacular_title: Risiken, Chancen und Perspektiven einer Beschränkung der freien Arztwahl.