Elderly patients' and GPs' views on different methods for patient involvement: an international qualitative interview study.
BACKGROUND
Elderly patients' interaction with the GP may be improved through patient involvement techniques, and there is a variety of such techniques which improve patients' involvement in their own care, although little is known about their acceptability.


OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to identify barriers and facilitators for using patient information leaflets and patient satisfaction questionnaires as methods for increasing elderly patients' involvement in general practice care by comparing their views with the GPs' views on these two types of methods.


METHODS
In seven countries (Austria, Denmark, Germany, The Netherlands, Portugal, Slovenia and Switzerland) 146 GPs and 284 patients aged 70 and over were interviewed about the use and the acceptability of these two methods. Interviewers followed a semi-structured interview guide, and all interviews were tape-recorded and transcribed verbatim.


RESULTS
The arguments for using patient satisfaction questionnaires were that they would provide the GP with more information, function as a basis for change, increase patients' self-confidence and make them more conscious of what to expect. Barriers for their use were cognitive impairment among patients, fear that they would not answer honestly and opposition to written material. The arguments for patient information leaflets were that they could support patients' memories, educate patients and promote their self-responsibility. The barriers were cognitive impairment among patients and fear that they would give them false impressions of what to expect.


CONCLUSIONS
Both instruments were generally well accepted by both GPs and patients. Their use seemed to be dependent upon the individual GP's attitude and the patients' cognitive capacities.
Geest
Tina Aaen
TA
Research Unit for General Practice, University of Aarhus, Denmark. tag@alm.au.dk
Wetzels
Raymond
R
Raposo
Victor
V
Lopes Ferreira
Pedro
P
Baker
Richard
R
Wensing
Michel
M
Olesen
Frede
F
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005060:Europe; D005194:Family Practice; D005260:Female; D006299:Health Services for the Aged; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000379:methods*; D010358:Patient Participation; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires