title: The medico-professional quality of GP consultations assessed by analysing patient records.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the medico-professional quality of consultations by analysing textual data from patient records.
  
  
  METHODS
  Qualitative analyse of textual data.
  
  
  METHODS
  Four primary health care centres using electronic patient records (EPR) in Finland.
  
  
  METHODS
  EPR and paired questionnaires of 175 consultations filled in by GPs and their patients independently.
  
  
  METHODS
  Medico-professional quality of consultations, quality of care of acute respiratory infections, and hypertension.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The medico-professional quality of the consultations was quite good. However, 9% of the records could not been assessed at all because of missing or poor documentation and 9% were assessed as poor. The treatment of acute respiratory infections and hypertension is not in line with current care guidelines. Smoking habits or other health behaviour or lifestyle factors were seldom recorded.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The medico-professional quality of the consultation was quite good. Quality improvement is needed in the treatment of acute respiratory infections and hypertension. User-friendly EPR systems would improve the content of patient records.
authors: Department of General Practice, University of Turku, Finland. maisa.kuusela@turku.fi
authors: Maisa
authors: M
authors: Kuusela
authors: Anna-Liisa
authors: AL
authors: Koivisto
authors: Paula
authors: P
authors: Vainiomäki
authors: Tero
authors: T
authors: Vahlberg
authors: Päivi
authors: P
authors: Rautava
mesh_terms: D003151:Community Health Centers / Q000592:standards; D057286:Electronic Health Records / Q000592:standards*; D005387:Finland; D058006:General Practice / Q000592:standards*; D019983:Guideline Adherence; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000592:standards*; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care / Q000379:methods*; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires