Patient's need for choice and information across the interface between primary and secondary care: a survey.
OBJECTIVE
Hospitals in The Netherlands have recently made certain performance data public, allowing patients to choose the location of their care. The objective of this study is to assess (a) patient preferences and experiences concerning the transition between primary and secondary health care, (b) patients' needs for choice and information and how these are influenced by personal and morbidity factors.


METHODS
Two different types of questionnaires were used. The first questionnaire concerns the importance that patients attach to the care provided. The second questionnaire concerns the actual experiences of the patient with the care provided. For the selection of patients, we used the databases of the registration networks of the Departments of General Practice of the Universities of Groningen and Leiden. The questionnaires were returned by 513 patients (Importance 69%) and 1404 patients (Experience 65%).


RESULTS
Many patients prefer the GP advising them regarding which hospital or specialist they should be referred to: a quarter of the patients preferred that the GP decided for them. Patients with a curable condition and patients aged between 25 and 65, highly educated and with stable personal characteristics as measured by a purposive scale, more often wished to use information from internet or newspapers to make a decision. The amount of information that was needed on illness or treatment varied greatly. Young people, older people, and those with less stable personal characteristics more often desired only practical information.


CONCLUSIONS
In spite of making performance data of different health care institutions public, only a limited number of patients want to use this information on a limited number of health problems.


CONCLUSIONS
Care providers should take differences into account concerning patients' need for information on their illness.
Berendsen
Annette J
AJ
Department of General Practice, University Medical Centre Groningen, University of Groningen, The Netherlands. a.j.berendsen@med.umcg.n
de Jong
G Majella
GM
Schuling
Jan
J
Bosveld
Henk E P
HE
de Waal
Margot W M
MW
Mitchell
Geoffrey K
GK
van der Meer
Klaas
K
Meyboom-de Jong
Betty
B
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003625:Data Collection; D005260:Female; D058005:General Practitioners / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008511:Medicine / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008875:Middle Aged; D020380:Needs Assessment; D009426:Netherlands; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D017060:Patient Satisfaction / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010465:Perception; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011594:Psychometrics; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012017:Referral and Consultation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013315:Stress, Psychological; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult