title: The physician's self-evaluation of the consultation and patient outcome: a longitudinal study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study whether the physician's evaluation of the consultation correlates to patient outcome one month later concerning symptom relief, sick leave, and drug compliance as perceived by the patient. The study also investigated whether the patient's evaluation of the consultation correlated to patient outcome.
  
  
  METHODS
  A longitudinal study using questionnaires.
  
  
  METHODS
  A county in south-western Sweden. Subjects. Forty-six physicians and 316 primary care patients aged 16 years or more with a new complaint lasting one week or more were invited. A total of 289 patients completed a questionnaire presented at the consultation; 273 patients were reached in a follow-up telephone interview one month after the consultation.
  
  
  METHODS
  The association between each statement in the physician-patient questionnaire (PPQ) from the consultation and the answers obtained from the telephone interview were analysed by either multiple linear or logistic regression analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Five out of 10 items in the PPQ were significantly associated with patient outcome. Physician's self-evaluation of the consultation was much more strongly associated with patient outcome than the patient's evaluation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The difference between the physician's and patient's evaluation of the consultation to predict patient outcomes indicates that the physician's self-evaluation of the consultation is of importance.
authors.affiliation: Primary Health Care Älvängen, Sweden. gerd.carlsson.ahlen@vgregion.se
authors.forename: Gerd Carlsson
authors.initials: GC
authors.lastname: Ahlén
authors.forename: Ronny K
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: Gunnarsson
mesh_terms: D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D005194:Family Practice / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care / Q000379:methods*; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011787:Quality of Health Care; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013548:Sweden