Patients' own assessments of quality of primary care compared with objective records based measures of technical quality of care: cross sectional study.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the relation between older patients' assessments of the quality of their primary care and measures of good clinical practice on the basis of data from administrative and clinical records.


METHODS
Cross sectional population based study using the general practice assessment survey.


METHODS
18 general practices in the Basildon primary care trust area, south east England.


METHODS
3487 people aged 65 or more.


METHODS
Correlations between mean practice scores on the general practice assessment survey and three evidence based measures on survey of case records (monitoring for, and control of, hypertension, and vaccination against influenza).


RESULTS
76% of people (3487/4563) responded to the general practice assessment survey. Correlations between patient assessed survey scores for technical quality and the objective records based measures of good clinical practice were 0.22 (95% confidence interval -0.28 to 0.62) for hypertension monitored, 0.30 (-0.19 to 0.67) for hypertension controlled, and -0.05 (-0.50 to 0.43) for influenza vaccination.


CONCLUSIONS
Older patients' assessments are not a sufficient basis for assessing the technical quality of their primary care. For an overall assessment both patient based and records based measures are required.
Rao
Mala
M
Department of Health and Human Sciences, University of Essex, Colchester CO4 3SQ.
Clarke
Aileen
A
Sanderson
Colin
C
Hammersley
Richard
R
D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003625:Data Collection; D004739:England; D005194:Family Practice / Q000592:standards*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009722:Nurse Practitioners; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011364:Professional Practice / Q000592:standards; D011787:Quality of Health Care; D017678:Sex Distribution