title: Do rural consumers expect a prescription from their GP visit? Investigation of patients' expectations for a prescription and doctors' prescribing decisions in rural Australia.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess patients' expectation for receiving a prescription and GPs' perceptions of patient expectation for a prescription.
  
  
  METHODS
  Matched questionnaire study completed by patients and GPs.
  
  
  METHODS
  Seven general practices in rural Queensland, Australia.
  
  
  METHODS
  The subjects were 481 patients consulting 17 GPs.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients' expectation for receiving a prescription and GPs' perceptions of patients' expectation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Ideal expectation (hope) for a prescription was expressed by 57% (274/481) of patients. Sixty-six per cent (313/481) thought it was likely that the doctor would actually give them a prescription. Doctors accurately predicted hope or lack of hope for a prescription in 65% (314/481) of consultations, but were inaccurate in 19% (93/481). A prescription was written in 55% of consultations. No increase in patients' expectation, doctors' perceptions of expectation, or decision to prescribe were detected for patients living a greater distance from the doctors.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Rural patients demonstrated similar rates of hope for a prescription to those found in previous urban studies. Rural doctors seem to be similarly 'accurate' and 'inaccurate' in determining patients' expectations. Rates of prescribing were comparable to urban rates. Distance was not found to increase the level of patient expectation, affect the doctors' perception or to influence the decision to prescribe.
authors.affiliation: School of Pharmacy, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
authors.forename: Christopher
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cutts
authors.forename: Susan E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Tett
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001294:Attitude to Health; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003657:Decision Making; D011307:Drug Prescriptions / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005194:Family Practice / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D011793:Queensland; D019035:Rural Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012424:Rural Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D017678:Sex Distribution