GPs are giving Australians what they want: Satisfaction!
Australia's general practitioners are highly regarded by their patients with 95% of respondents to a Morgan Research survey indicating they were satisfied with their GPs' level of service, the Australian Medical Association said today.
The AMA Morgan Poll generously sponsored by SmithKline Beecham and conducted for the AMA's Family Doctor Week, showed that there is still a strong doctor-patient relationship in the community with 87% of respondents having a regular family doctor.
Chair of the AMA's Council of General Practice, Dr David Rivett, said that it was heartening for the medical profession to know that patients are sticking by their GP.
"The poll, which surveyed 1004 people across Australia found that in 2000, 87% of patients have a regular GP, up from the 81% figure in 1999. Satisfaction levels have remained the same at 95% while dissatisfaction with a GPs' service has dropped from 1.8% in 1999 to 1.4% in 2000," Dr Rivett said.
"The strong allegiance patients have for their GP is still unshakeable given that today 47% have seen the same doctor for ten years yet in 1999 that allegiance was at 36%.
"This commitment to continuity of care is vital and it is reassuring to know that most people in the community also appreciate that need for continuity of care.
"The AMA SmithKline Beecham Morgan survey also revealed the most common reasons why patients were satisfied with their GPs' service, among them:
- good doctor/efficient/competent/knowledgeable;
- trustworthy/friendly;
- accurate diagnosis/precise; and
- knows my family's medical history.
"As the medical profession progresses into the next century, general practitioners are confident that patients will continue to see the great value in the service they get from their family doctor and the need to have a regular family doctor," Dr Rivett said.