[Access to general practitioners in a county in Troms].
BACKGROUND
In 2002 the Norwegian Board of Health made a survey of the accessibility of general practitioners in Troms county in North Norway.


METHODS
In a telephone interview one secretary in each surgery informed about telephone response time, planned time for telephone consultations, recorded numbers of urgent consultations, and waiting time to obtain a routine consultation.


RESULTS
On average, the planned telephone time was two hours per week. Telephone time was in inverse proportion to the number of patients on the doctor's list. Rural doctors spent twice as much time as urban colleagues on the telephone with their patients. Doctors with lists between 500 and 1500 patients had a higher proportion of urgent consultations compared with doctors with shorter or longer lists.


CONCLUSIONS
Telephone response time below two minutes and waiting times for routine consultations below 20 days appear to be within acceptable norms. When patient lists are above 1500, doctors' capacity to offer telephone contact and emergency services to their patients seems reduced.
Hansen
Anne Helen
AH
Tromsø kommune, Rådhuset, 9299 Tromsø. anne.helen.hansen@tromso.kommune.no
Aaraas
Ivar J
IJ
Pettersen
Jorun Støvne
JS
Ersdal
Gerd
G
D004632:Emergency Medical Services / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005194:Family Practice / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D009664:Norway; D010821:Physicians, Family; D010822:Physicians, Women; D012017:Referral and Consultation / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D019035:Rural Health Services / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D013689:Telephone; D019037:Urban Health Services / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data