The quality of GP consultation in two different salary systems.
OBJECTIVE
To compare the quality of consultations between two Finnish employment contract systems: the capitation-based contract (CB) and the time-based contract (TB).


METHODS
Cross-sectional study based on paired questionnaires answered by patients and general practitioners (GPs).


METHODS
81 GPs with their patients from four health care centres in Finland, 2191 encounters.


METHODS
Both patients' and GPs' opinions on the role of personal doctor, medico-professional quality, quality of communication, consultation conditions, economic quality (= number of examinations and treatments), and duration of consultation.


RESULTS
Patients were more satisfied than the doctors with the quality of consultations. We found no differences between the groups in the patients' opinions on the quality. The GPs in the CB group rated their work quality higher than the GPs in the TB group. The patients' and the GPs' understanding of the GP as a personal doctor varied so that the patients considered their GP as their personal doctor more often than the GPs in question.


CONCLUSIONS
The GPs with a capitation-based contract evaluated the quality of their work higher than other GPs. Patient satisfaction was not dependent on the GP's contract.
Kuusela
Maisa
M
Department of General Practice, University of Turku, FI-20014 Turku, Finland. maisa.kuusela@turku.fi
Vainiomäki
Paula
P
Hinkka
Susanna
S
Rautava
Päivi
P
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004651:Employment / Q000145:classification* / Q000191:economics; D005194:Family Practice / Q000191:economics* / Q000592:standards*; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians'; D011787:Quality of Health Care; D012456:Salaries and Fringe Benefits; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires