PATIENT EXPECTATIONS - WHAT DO PRIMARY-CARE PATIENTS WANT FROM THE GPAND HOW FAR DOES MEETING EXPECTATIONS AFFECT PATIENT SATISFACTION

There is growing recognition of the importance of patients' expectatio ns in general practice. This study aimed to investigate the types of e xpectations adult primary care patients have prior to consulting the G P, and how far meeting expectations is associated with increased satis faction. Patients (n = 504) attending general practitioners (n = 25) a t 10 London general practices were included in the study. The Patients Intentions Questionnaire (PIG) was administered prior to the consulta tion to investigate patients' expectations and the Expectations Met Qu estionnaire (EMQ) was administered after the consultation to find out what the patient reportedly obtained. Satisfaction with the consultati on was also measured using the Medical Interview Satisfaction Scale (M ISS). The results of a principal components analysis of PIQ item score s indicated that the most wanted items were for 'explanation of the pr oblem'. There was less desire for 'support' or 'tests and diagnosis'. Many of the 'support' items could potentially be provided to all patie nts, yet a proportion of patients reported not receiving these items f rom the GP. The results of one-way ANOVAs revealed that patients with greater numbers of their expectations met reported significantly highe r satisfaction with the consultation than those with lower numbers met . The PIQ and EMO could be potentially useful self-audit tools for use by general practitioners and trainee GPs.