PATIENTS DESIRES AND EXPECTATIONS FOR MEDICAL-CARE IN PRIMARY-CARE CLINICS

To explore whether patients' desires for and expectations of medical c are differ between the United States and Canada, we surveyed 652 patie nts and 105 physicians at primary care sites in Michigan and Ontario. Patient desires were similar at both sites, but expectations were high er in Michigan. Michigan physicians gave higher estimates of patient d esire than physicians in Ontario. Physicians at both sites, however, s imilarly underestimated patients' desires. These between-site differen ces in expectation may reflect differences both in general cultural fa ctors and in patient exposure to different clinical policies within th e medical systems.