title: The EUROPEP questionnaire for patient's evaluation of general practice care: Bulgarian experience.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To validate the Bulgarian EUROPEP-questionnaire and its implementation to measure patient evaluation of general practice care in Bulgarian population.
  
  
  METHODS
  A multicenter cross-sectional study was conducted at twenty five primary care practices from South-Central Region of Bulgaria. A total of 1000 adult patients aged over 18 years and visiting the practice for more than a year were approached consecutively to take part in the study. The internal consistency and test-retest reliability of the EUROPEP questionnaire were evaluated. To confirm the construct validity of the questionniare, еxplanatory factor analysis was performed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Cronbach'alpha for "clinical behaviour" is 0.95 and for "organisation of care" 0.81. Factor analysis identifed two factors, which accounted for 77.0% of the total variation in these items. On average, 58.7% of respondents rated the level of care received as excellent. The waiting time in the waiting room was the item most poorly rated (33.8%). The item "keeping patients' records and data confidential" was the most highly rated (88.8%). Patients were less satisfied with "providing quick services for urgent health problems" (78.5% excellent or good) and "getting an appropriate for them appointment" (76.2% excellent or good).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Two scales with satisfactory psychometric properties were established in the Bulgarian version of the EUROPEP-questionnaire. The study identified areas requiring improvement in general practice, such as reduction in waiting times and obtaining patient's convenience appointment.
authors.affiliation: Rositsa Dimova, Department of Health Management and Health Economics, Faculty of Public Health, Medical University of Plovdiv, 15a V. Aprilov Blvd, Plovdiv 4002, Bulgaria. ros_dimova@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Rositsa
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Dimova
authors.forename: Rumyana
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Stoyanova
authors.forename: Donka
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Keskinova
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002031:Bulgaria; D003219:Confidentiality; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005260:Female; D058006:General Practice / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000592:standards; D006801:Humans; D007802:Language; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011594:Psychometrics; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires / Q000592:standards*; D014850:Waiting Lists