[Evaluation of patient needs and quality of outpatient health care services in large cities, district centers, villages and townships of Lithuania]. / Ambulatorines sveikatos prieziuros paslaugu poreikio bei kokybes vertinimas Lietuvos didziuosiuose miestuose, rajonu centruose, kaimuose bei miesteliuose.

Opinion of patients concerning some aspects of patient needs and quality of ambulatory care services was investigated by survey, performed in ambulatory health care institutions of Lithuania in May, 2002. Results of survey included comparison of patient opinion in cities, regional centers, villages and townships. Representative number of 1003 inhabitants was selected as a study sample. Inhabitants were interviewed by means of standardized questionnaire developed by study team. According to the results of survey, patients evaluate changes in quality of the health care services more negatively that positively. Positive changes, by opinion of respondents, were in physician attitudes towards patient, this opinion was supported by 27% of respondents. Most negative changes, reported by patients, were changes in management of health care institutions, including functioning of registration office. Forty percent of inhabitants, participating in the study, expressed the opinion that accessibility of consultant services became more complicated, 35% did not notice any changes, 15% thought that procedure became easier; 38% of respondents thought that accessibility to ambulatory health care services worsened. Respondents also had different opinions concerning development of institution of family physician; 45% evaluated it as a positive change in health care system, and 42% expressed negative opinion. Main problems in functioning of ambulatory care institutions, by opinion of respondents, are long queues at the physician office, difficulties in registration in advance and out-of-pocket payments to physicians.