title: Patient Satisfaction with Community Health Service Centers as Gatekeepers and the Influencing Factors: A Cross-Sectional Study in Shenzhen, China.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Shenzhen is the first pilot city in China implementing the gatekeeper policy, with community health service (CHS) centers as the gatekeepers. We aim to investigate patient satisfaction with this policy and its influencing factors in Shenzhen.
  
  
  METHODS
  3,848 patients visiting eight CHS centers in Shenzhen of China between May 1 and July 28, 2013 were recruited. We interviewed them using a structured questionnaire to investigate their satisfaction with the gatekeeper policy of CHS. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to identify influencing factors.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the respondents, 28.17%, 47.27% and 24.56% were satisfied with, neutral to, and not satisfied with the gatekeeper policy respectively. Patient satisfaction with this policy was found to be associated with education level, familiarity with the policy, referral experience, satisfaction with convenience of seeing a doctor, satisfaction with waiting time, satisfaction with medical facility, satisfaction with general medical practitioners' professional skill, and proportion of expense reimbursed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our investigation shows that patient satisfaction with the gatekeeper policy was low. To improve patient satisfaction, efforts should be made to increase the convenience of seeing a doctor in community, shorten waiting time, improve general medical practitioners' professional skill, and increase proportion of expense reimbursement.
authors.affiliation: Baoan Central Hospital of Shenzhen, Shenzhen, China.
authors.forename: Jiang
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: Baoan Central Hospital of Shenzhen, Shenzhen, China.
authors.forename: Shengchao
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Baoan Central Hospital of Shenzhen, Shenzhen, China.
authors.forename: Huiqing
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Baoan Central Hospital of Shenzhen, Shenzhen, China.
authors.forename: Yingyu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.
authors.forename: Xiaoxin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Dong
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.
authors.forename: Xiaoxu
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Yin
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.
authors.forename: Zuxun
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.
authors.forename: Shiyi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cao
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002681:China; D003151:Community Health Centers; D003153:Community Health Services / Q000379:methods; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D062486:Public Health Surveillance; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D000078329:Workforce; D055815:Young Adult