Perceptions of quality in primary health care: perspectives of patients and professionals based on focus group discussions.

BACKGROUND: The EUprimecare project-team assessed the perception of primary health care (PHC) professionals and patients on quality of organization of PHC systems in the participating countries: Estonia, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania and Spain. This article presents the aggregated opinions, expectations and priorities of patients and professionals along some main dimensions of quality in primary health care, such as access, equity, appropriateness and patient- centeredness. METHODS: The focus group technique was applied in the study as a qualitative research method for exploration of attitudes regarding the health care system and health service. Discussions were addressing the topics of: general aspects of quality in primary health care; possibilities to receive/provide PHC services based on both parties needs; determinant factors of accessibility to PHC services; patient centeredness. The data sets collected during the focus group discussions were evaluated using the method of thematic analysis. RESULTS: There were 14 focus groups in total: a professional and a patient group in each of the seven partner countries. Findings of the thematic analysis were summarized along the following dimensions: access and equity, appropriateness (coordination, continuity, competency and comprehensiveness) and patient centeredness. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows perceptions and views of patients in interaction with PHC and opinion of professionals working in PHC. It serves as source of criteria with relevance to everyday practice and experience. The criteria mentioned by patients and by health care professionals which were considered determining factors of the quality in primary care were quite similar among the investigated countries. However, the perception and the level of tolerance regarding some of the criteria differed among EUprimecare countries. Among these dissimilar criteria we especially note the gate-keeping role of GPs, the importance of nurses' competency and the acceptance of waiting times. The impact of waiting time on patient satisfaction is obvious; the influence of equity and access to PHC services are more dependent on the equal distribution of settings and doctors in urban and rural area. Foreseen shortage of doctors is expected to have a substantial influence on patient satisfaction in the near future.

Guidelines for the use of biomarkers: principles, processes and practical considerations.

With the growing availability of new health care technologies and rapidly emerging biomarker discoveries, clinicians need advice on the clinical validity and utility of new tests and whether they improve clinical, patient-centred, organizational or economic outcomes. High quality clinical practice guidelines (CPGs), based on well-designed and conducted test evaluation studies, are tools for translating research into practice and in promoting a value- and evidence-based approach for clinical utilization and reimbursement of new biomarkers. Such study protocols should be appropriate for the questions addressed at each stage of biomarker development: 1/ Basic research into the association of disease with the new biomarker; 2/ Modelling the potential use of the new biomarker in clinical practice; Studies on the 3/ analytic validity; 4/ clinical validity (efficacy); 5/ clinical utility (effectiveness); and 6/ clinical impact (efficiency) of testing. Irrespective of the facts that CPGs potentially influence important clinical decisions and thus patient outcomes, current approaches to CPG development often do not follow the rigorous processes of scientific publications. Guidelines should be outcome oriented; reliable and free from any forms of bias; based on high quality research or on formal consensus when evidence is conflicting or lacking; multidisciplinary; flexible and applicable to various clinical circumstances and patient preferences; clear; cost-effective; appropriately disseminated and implemented; amenable to measurement of their impact in practice; and regularly reviewed and updated. Therefore until guideline-making and reporting standards are improved, all CPGs should be carefully scrutinized for methodological and content validity before being adopted, adapted and used in clinical practice.

Differential effect of corticosteroids on serum cystatin C in thrombocytopenic purpura and leukemia.

The aim of our study was to evaluate the influence of steroid therapy on serum cystatin C (cysC) concentrations in patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and idiopthiás thrombocytopenias purpura (ITP). We studied 17 patients with ITP (girls: boys =5:12, mean age: 7.6 yrs, range between 1 to 17 years) and 18 patients with ALL (girls: boys =6:12, mean age: 6.3 yrs, range between 2 to 17 years). CysC and white blood cell count (WBC) in both group of patients were determined before and after 300 mg/m(2) cumulative dose of steroid therapy. Corticosteroids increased the level of cysC in both groups of patients, however significant increase was found only in ITP patients between pre- and posttreatment values (0.96 +/-0.27 mg/L vs. 1.16 +/- 0.3 mg/L, p =0,02). Pretreatment cysC concentrations were within the reference range in patients with ITP but not with ALL and were significantly higher in ALL patients, than in ITP patients (1.23 +/- 1,12 mg/L vs. 0.96 +/- 0.27 mg/L, p =0,02). Pretreatment WBC of ALL patients were significantly higher than of ITP patients (22.58 G/L, min. 3.5 G/L, max. 102.1 G/L vs. 7.46 G/L, min. 4.8 G/L, max. 12.3 G/L, p =0.03). We have found significant correlation between pretreatment cysC and WBC values in ALL patients (p = 0.04). Although the concentration of cysC may be slightly and reversibly influenced by corticosteroid treatment, cysC is sensitive to detect early and moderate deterioration of GFR in children with cancer.