Τίτλος:
The impact of accessibility and service quality on the frequency of
patient visits to the primary diabetes care provider: results from a
cross-sectional survey performed in six European countries
Γλώσσες Τεκμηρίου:
Αγγλικά
Περίληψη:
BackgroundVisits to the primary diabetes care provider play a central
role in diabetes care. Therefore, patients should attend their primary
diabetes care providers whenever a visit is necessary. Parameters that
might affect whether this condition is fulfilled include accessibility
(in terms of travel distance and travel time to the practice), as well
as aspects of service quality (for example in-practice waiting time and
quality of the provider's communication with the patient). The
relationships of these variables with the frequency of visits to the
primary diabetes care provider are investigated.MethodsThe investigation
is performed with questionnaire data of 1086 type 2 diabetes patients
from study regions in England (213), Finland (135), Germany (218),
Greece (153), the Netherlands (296) and Spain (71). Data were collected
between October 2011 and March 2012. Data were analysed using log-linear
Poisson regression models with self-reported numbers of visits in a year
to the primary diabetes care provider as the criterion variable.
Predictor variables of the core model were: country; gender; age;
education; stage of diabetes; heart problems; previous stroke; problems
with lower extremities; problems with sight; kidney problems; travel
distance and travel time; in-practice waiting time; and quality of
communication. To test region-specific characteristics, the interaction
between the latter four predictor variables and study region was also
investigated.ResultsWhen study regions are merged, travel distance and
in-practice waiting time have a negative effect, travel time no effect
and quality of communication a positive effect on visit frequency (with
the latter effect being by far largest). When region specific effects
are considered, there are strong interaction effects shown for travel
distance, in-practice waiting time and quality of communication. For
travel distance, as well as for in-practice waiting time, there are
region-specific effects in opposite directions. For quality of
communication, there are only differences in the strength with which
visit frequency increases with this variable.ConclusionsThe impact of
quality of communication on visit frequency is the largest and is stable
across all study regions. Hence, increasing quality of communication
seems to be the best approach for increasing visit frequency.
Συγγραφείς:
Konerding, Uwe
Bowen, Tom
Elkhuizen, Sylvia G.
Faubel,
Raquel
Forte, Paul
Karampli, Eleftheria
Malmstrom, Tomi and
Pavi, Elpida
Torkki, Paulus
Περιοδικό:
BMC Health Services Research
Λέξεις-κλειδιά:
Travel distance; Travel time; In-practice waiting time; Provider-patient
communication; Health care provider; Visit; Accessibility to care; Type
2 diabetes
DOI:
10.1186/s12913-020-05421-0
