Patients and Their Doctors in 1977

Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.To examine the nature, extent and implications of changes in general practice and doctor-patient relationships since 1964, when an earlier study `Patients and their doctors' was carried out.Main Topics:Attitudinal/Behavioural Questions 1. Patients Includes: attitude to NHS, satisfaction with care received, subjective perception of health, reasons for changes of doctor in past 5 years, preference for group or single practice, whether regards doctor registered with as own doctor, preference for own doctor, no. of consultations/hospital visits/home visits in past year, qualities appreciated and lacking in doctor, importance of knowing doctor well, attitude to presence of students at consultation, preference for doctor of particular sex, attitude to appointments system/consulting by telephone/ deputising service/contact with receptionist/activities of nurse/regular check-ups, use of emergency service, expected treatment for specified ailments, use of and attitude to private practice, preference for home or hospital treatment in event of long-term illness or disability/for GP or hopital treatment for certain ailments. Whether blood-pressure ever taken, strength of desire for information, satisfaction with explanations given by doctor, willingness to consult with personal problems, assessment of GP's workload, whether worries about wasting doctor's time. Details of consultations in past 2 weeks, anticipated treatment compared with actual treatment, satisfaction with length of consultation. Details of medicine usage in past 2 weeks, extent of knowledge about usage and side-effects, desire for further information. Assessment of doctor's prescribing habits, attitude to prescription/consultancy payments, perception of changes in doctor-patient relationship and personal awareness of health matters in past 10 years, prestige rating of general practice. Details of consultations for children in past year, preference for GP or specialist in children's problems. Satisfaction with GP, assessment of ease of changing doctor, knowledge of and attitude to organisations representing consumers' interests. (Failure schedules were also compiled as in 835) 2. Doctors Satisfaction with conditions of work in NHS; most desired change; access to NHS beds and diagnostic facilities; paid or honorary appointments held at hospital; adequacy of consultations with hospital staff re. admissions and discharges; enjoyable/frustrating aspects of general practice; proportion of consultations estimated as trivial; attitude to consultations for personal problems; distance from hospital; advantages and disadvantages of health centres; practice equipment; practices personally undertaken (e.g. stitching cuts, fitting IUDs); single or group practice; whether practice has trainees/medical students/deputising service/appointments system/secretaries or receptionists/nurses/other professionals: advantages and disadvantages of trainees/medical students/partnership appointments system/nurses from both doctors' and patients' point of view; activities of nurses and receptionists (i.e. whether should ask patients' reasons for visit); assessment of relationship with social services; importance of continuity of care (i.e. same doctor) for individual and whole family, whether should be more/less emphasis in future on home visiting/community care/health education/a team approach; desired changes in method of remuneration; length of time in general practice and with particular practice; changes in consultation rate/ proportion of home visits/prestige (in community and amongst profession)/doctor-patient relationship in past 10 years. Proportion of consultations would like to give more time to and which patients; opinion of GP's specialising in paediatrics; whether had specific GP training; best ways of keeping up to date; courses attended in last five years. Background Variables 1. Patients Age, marital status, school-leaving age, further education or training, employment and occupational status, country of origin (respondent and parents), length of residence in area. 2. Doctors Age, sex, country of qualification, no. of partners, group practice allowance, whether works in health centre, list size, proportion of list 65+, type of area (NHS designation), whether GP trainer, qualifications. Some data from DHSS are included