ABSTRACT
A sample of 92 UK patients volunteered to take part in focus groups to discuss what elements of local primary care provision were important to them. Issues raised were prioritised by the patients and then fashioned into 18 quality indicators which nine local practices were invited to assess themselves against. At the assessment meeting three months later over 40 changes in service provision were noted in the nine participating practices. A patient questionnaire carried out in each practice, however, indicated a tendency for practices to overestimate the services they felt they provided. Patients rated the experience of generating standards as very worthwhile and enjoyed being asked. Further research needs to be carried out to assess the effectiveness of this methodology in different settings.
Subject(s)
Patient Participation , Primary Health Care/standards , Quality Assurance, Health Care , England , Female , Focus Groups , Humans , Male , State MedicineABSTRACT
There are few models for involving patients in primary care. Research in one primary care group, involving 92 patients from nine general practices, established a list of 20 standards most important to patients. When asked to assess themselves against these standards, practices rated their services higher than patients did. The research found considerable resistance to patient involvement from GPs, which needs to be addressed if the government's aims are to be achieved.
