LONG-TERM ATTENDANCE AT A FAMILY-PRACTICE TEACHING UNIT - QUALITATIVESTUDY OF PATIENTS VIEWS

OBJECTIVE To identify the factors that contribute to patients' long-te rm attendance at a family practice teaching unit. DESIGN Qualitative m ethod of focus groups. SETTING A community-based family practice teach ing unit in southwestern Ontario. PARTICIPANTS Patients who had been c oming to St Joseph's Family Medical Centre for more than 15 years were purposefully selected to participate. METHOD Five focus groups compos ed of patients who had been affiliated with one of the three practices at the Centre for more than 15 years explored factors contributing to long-term attendance. MAIN FINDINGS Four key themes were identified a s the primary factors contributing to long term attendance: the relati onship context, the team concept, professional responsibility and atti tudes, and comprehensive and convenient care. CONCLUSION The resource- rich era of medical care, during which participants formulated their v iews and opinions about the factors contributing to their long-term at tendance at a family practice teaching unit, has come to a close. The findings of this study provide important information that could help m aintain one of the basic tenets of family medicine-continuity of care.