THE USE OF GENERAL-PRACTICE SERVICES BY 18 YEAR OLDS IN NEW-ZEALAND

Aims. To ascertain the opinions of 861 eighteen year olds about their use and opinion of health services. Methods. A computer generated ques tionnaire delivered to 440 males and 421 females at or around their ei ghteenth birthday. Results. General practice was the overwhelmingly pr edominant provider of health services to this group with 69% of males and 86% of females having consulted. Satisfaction with the service giv en by general practitioners was high, as it was with other less common providers. Female users were significantly more likely than males to have problems of embarrassment with the doctor or a worry that their p arents might be told of the consultation. While only 4% of females pre ferred to discuss their health problems with a male doctor, 88% had a male doctor. For 50% of the females, choice of doctor depends on the n ature of the problem for which they consult. Conclusions. General prac tice is seen by these adolescents as providing a highly satisfactory s ervice and the general practitioner is by far the most commonly consul ted health professional. There is, however, no doubt that more choice in the gender of the doctor would improve satisfaction with the servic e. The study also demonstrates that having the same doctor for all pro blems is not necessarily acceptable to adolescent female patients.