PATIENTS OPINIONS ON RESPIRATORY CARE - DO DOCTORS FULFILL THEIR NEEDS

To date, guidelines and consensus reports on quality care for asthma a nd chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are mainly based on re search and opinions of care providers. Patients' viewpoints on good me dical care have rarely been studied. We designed a postal questionnair e to study the needs of patients with asthma or COPD for medical care provided by general practitioners and lung physicians. A total of 121 patients filled out the questionnaire, which included 111 items about needs. Although generally satisfied, patients reported several unfulfi lled needs. Main topics were the need for information about diagnostic tests, prognosis, and long-term use of medication. In addition, patie nts wanted more written information about the nature of their disease. One-third of patients wanted more participation in decisions about th eir treatment. These results suggest the quality of medical care for p atients with asthma or COPD can be improved by adjusting provided care to needs expressed by patients.