[Patient satisfaction with primary health care before and after the introduction of a list patient system].
BACKGROUND
The main objective was to compare patient satisfaction in general practice before and after the introduction of a list patient system for general practitioners (GPs) in Norway in 2001.


METHODS
Postal survey sent to a random sample of inhabitants in Northern and Eastern Norway. A total of 1133 questionnaires from 2000 and 1141 from 2003 were included in the analysis (58% of the sample).


RESULTS
From 2000 to 2003 there was a significant increase in the amount of respondents who answered that they were confident to get help if needed, and fewer reported unsuccessful attempts to contact a GP on the phone. Respondents were increasingly very satisfied with most aspects of the doctor-patient relationship and overall satisfaction also improved. We found a reduced proportion of very satisfied respondents in relation to some accessibility aspects.


CONCLUSIONS
The changes may be interpreted as changes in the quality and accessibility of services and as an expression of changes in expectations to and confidence in the system as a whole. If the changes are related to the new list patient system, it seems to be more successful with regard to quality than to accessibility.
Institutt for samfunnsmedisin, Universitetet i Tromsø, 9037 Tromsø. olaug.lian@ism.uit.no
Olaug S
OS
Lian
Tom
T
Wilsgaard
D005194:Family Practice / Q000592:standards*; D005260:Female; D018166:Health Care Reform; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009664:Norway; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000592:standards*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires