title: Patient evaluation on family doctors' family orientation.
abstract: Family orientation is one of basic features of family practice. The purpose of the study was to explore the patients' opinions about family physician involvement in family related issues, and to identify the factors that may influence the patients' opinions. Altogether 514 patients completed a questionnaire. Logistic regression analysis was used to predict the factors which determine patient orientation to talk about family related issues. The results indicate that the patients' health and the family background influence their willingness to talk to family physicians about their family related problems. The findings of the study confirm that special attention should be paid to patients who definitely have family problems because of chronic illness, or an alcohol or drug using family member, or those who are widowed or divorced. Also, the ethnic origin was found to have an impact on patient opinions of family physicians' family involvement.
authors.affiliation: Department of Polyclinic and Family Medicine, University of Tartu, Puusepa 1a, Tartu 50406, Estonia. ruthk@ut.ee
authors.forename: Ruth
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kalda
authors.forename: Marje
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Oona
authors.forename: Heidi-Ingrid
authors.initials: HI
authors.lastname: Maaroos
authors.forename: Margus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lember
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001294:Attitude to Health; D003142:Communication; D004644:Emotions; D004957:Estonia; D005192:Family Health; D005260:Female; D006266:Health Education; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D010819:Physician's Role; D010821:Physicians, Family / Q000523:psychology / Q000592:standards; D011340:Problem Solving; D011368:Professional-Family Relations; D011787:Quality of Health Care / Q000592:standards; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires