ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: To evaluate user satisfaction with their medical care, in relation to some points of care procedures, and to study the association between medical care and the care model. DESIGN: A descriptive cross-sectional study, carried out through a telephone poll. SETTING: Primary Care. PATIENTS AND OTHER PARTICIPANTS: Systematic randomised sample of 538 users, who were listed at a Health Centre as having an individual health card. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: There was a 73.8% reply rate, with a total of 397 valid polls. Total Cronbach's alpha of the variables concerning satisfaction was 0.91. There were no differences in the sociodemographic variables between the users of the two care models. Waiting time before entering the consulting room was significantly greater among users of the reformed model (RM) than the traditional model (TM) (P < 0.00001). Variables associated with satisfaction with the doctor were: doctor's interest in the patient's problems, assessment of the time spent by the doctor in clinical investigation, agreement with the doctor's prescription, clarification of doubts, use of the clinical history and overall satisfaction with the medical care received. RM doctors were found more satisfactory for all these variables (p < 0.00001). CONCLUSIONS: These findings showed greater satisfaction among RM users.
