Health Care Utilization and Attitudes to Health Care Before and After Development Work in a Health Centre

Abstract

In development work at the Vännäs Primary Health Care Centre (VPHCC) in northern Sweden, attitudes towards and the use of health care were studied from 1977 to 1979. Mail questionnaires were sent to random and independent samples of Vännäs inhabitants to collect data. A relative increase in the health centre physician consultancy rate was found when it was compared to other health care facilities. No change was seen in hospital utilization. Attitudes towards health information and health care accessibility were more positive after the development work. No change in attitudes to quality of health care as such was seen. The changes implemented at the VPHCC seemed to be a major cause for the results obtained as no such change was seen in the catchment area of the reference health centre.

Keywords

Attitudes to primary health care postal survey health centre management quality of care

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

1. Andersson JG . Health services utilization: Framework and review. Health Serv Res 1973; 8: 184–9.

2. The Swedish Planning and Rationalizing Institute of the Health and Social Services. Vårdutnyttjande – ett mått på ohälsa? (Health care utilization – a measure of ill-health?). Stockholm: Spri 1984 (Spri-rapport 158). (In Swedish, summary in English).

3. Hulka BS , Kupper LJ , Daly MB , Cassel JC , Shoen F . Correlates of satisfaction and dissatisfaction with medical care, a community perspective. Med Care 1975; 13: 648–58.

4. Starr P , Ellis GL , Oha S . A social worker's use of a patient attitude survey in the administration of a small health clinic. Soc Work Health Care 1980; 6: 45–50.

5. Bentzen N , Christiansen T , Møller Pedersen KM. Vaktordningsundersøgelsen III. Furbrugernes tillfredshed med udvalgte vagtordninger. Investigation of the deputizing service for general practitioners. III. (Patient satisfaction with the services available). Ugeskr Laeg 1979; 141: 612–18. (In Danish, summary in English).

6. The National Swedish Board of Health and Welfare. Attityder till sjukvården. (Attitudes towards medical care). Stockholm, Modin-Tryck AB, 1976. (Socialstyrelsen redovisar). (In Swedish).

7. Westman G , Andersson S-O , Eriksson CG , Ferry S , Mattsson B . Initiating change in primary care. The Vännäs Project. Its realization and evaluation. Scand J Prim Health Care, 1987; 5: 35–40.

8. Edvards AL . Technique of Attitude scale construction. New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts, 1957.

9. Statistics Sweden. Socioekonomisk indelning (SEI). (Swedish socioeconomic classification). Stockholm, Statistics Sweden 1983. (SCB, Meddelanden i samordningsfrågor 1982: 4). (In Swedish, summary in English).

10.

10. Brorson B. Mätfel i hälsointervjuer. (Measurement errors in health related surveys) Stockholm, Norstedts tryckeri, 1980. (Urval nr 12, Statistiska Centralbyrån). (In Swedish, summary in English).

11.

11. Westman G , Hanning M , Mattsson B . Utilization of inpatient and emergency care: Effects of changes in primary care system. Scand J Soc Med. 1987; 15: 105–9.

12.

12. Westman G, Andersson S-O, Ferry S, Fredriksson P. Means to improve telephone accessibility to a primary health care centre and their assessment. (Submitted Arctic Med Res).