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Jean Karl Soler MIPC. Transition project data on inter-doctor variation. Presentation plan. Inter-doctor and inter-practice variation Maltese context What do we know? Transition project data Summary Reflection. The personal doctor.
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Jean Karl Soler MIPC Transition project data on inter-doctor variation
Presentation plan • Inter-doctor and inter-practice variation • Maltese context • What do we know? • Transition project data • Summary • Reflection
The personal doctor • Continuing doctor-patient relationship is a core value for primary care • Long term doctor-patient relationship • Longitudinal care and consultation experiences • Knowledge, trust, loyalty, regard • Benefits of concentrating care in one team less than concentrating care in one provider Haggerty J. The future for personal doctoring. BJGP 2009; 59(561): 236-7
The personal doctor • Move from single-handed practice to multi-disciplinary practice has an impact • Trade-off between being seen promptly by a doctor and longitudinal continuity • Accessibility... • ...as against longitudinal continuity • Co-ordinated care as against longitudinal continuity • Patients value the personal care given by one doctor, but also accessibility Haggerty J. The future for personal doctoring. BJGP 2009; 59(561): 236-7
Inter-doctor/practice variation • Differences between family doctors • Different doctor interests (disease, prevention) • Different ways doctor conceptualises diagnoses and manages health problems (e.g. symptom diagnoses) • Differences between practices • All above, but doctors also influence each other • Common work practices and/or protocols • Different prevalence of disease • Different practice populations (age, sex, culture) • Patients choose their doctor, influenced by above
Presentation plan • Inter-doctor and inter-practice variation • Maltese context • What do we know? • Transition project data • Summary • Reflection
Maltese context • Primary care reform • Government • Registration • (Weak) commitment to reform primary care • Family doctors • Specialists, but not treated as such in practice • Apprehension of working in group practices • Out of hours • Reform, without support and resources?
Maltese context • 154 responses out of 324 FM specialists(effective response rate of 47.7%) • More than 50% agreed strongly with • increasing access to investigations • facilitating chronic disease care • improving continuity of care, investing in PHC, and having a public campaign for PHC • More than 50% agreement on • patient registration, harmonising private and public care, career progression in public FM, instituting specialist FM clinics (ranked jointly at 6) • increasing access to private insurances was ranked lowest as a priority by respondents, with a median rank of 7 • In almost all questions, the percentage of respondents who agreed or agreed strongly with these initiatives was 90% or more, with few exceptions (patient registration with 69.7%, and specialist FM clinics with 81.6% agreeing) Soler JK, Stabile I, Borg R. MCFD Questionnaire 2007. Malta, MCFD.
Maltese context • Informal discussions between colleagues • Family doctors are ready to accept change • Unity instead of fragmentation • Improvements in quality of service provision • Improvements in quality of life for doctors • Access to investigations and special interventions • Family doctors have issues with change • Registration brings responsibilities • Out of hours care is an issue • Resources to support change • Capitation fee • Item of service payments • Support for staff, premises, IT
Maltese context • Change to group and/or out of hours system • Move from solo practice to collaboration • Patients will be exposed to different styles of doctoring • Patients may gain accessibility at the cost of less continuity of care / doctor-patient relationship • Family doctor becomes manager and team leader • New responsibilities • New challenges • How to start? • We can learn from our colleagues
Presentation plan • Inter-doctor and inter-practice variation • Maltese context • What do we know? • Transition project data • Summary • Reflection
What do we know? • Attitudes and behaviour more similar for GP pairs/groups as against solo GPs • Shared circumstances is most important influence • Adaptation plays a role • Selection is least important • tested by age and gender of GPs • Actual pairs are more similar than random pairs for consultation time • More similarities between respiratory diagnoses than other systems De Jong J, Groenewegen PP, Westert GP. Mutual influences of general practitioners in partnerships. Social Science and Medicine 2003; 57:1515-1524
What do we know? • Patterns in inter-doctor variation • Patient utilisation varies between practices • 312 to 404 per 1000 do not consult in one year • 132 to 246 per 1000 have more than 5 encounters • 18 to 54 per 1000 have more than 10 encounters • Variation in numbers of encounters between practices in a period are less than variation within practice between periods of time • Less variation in referral (8%); number of physical examinations and prescriptions (15%); average variation in blood investigations (28%); higher variation in giving advice (36%) and counselling (62%) Marinus AMF. Inter-doktervariatie in de huisartspraktijk . Amsterdam, the Netherlands 1993.
What do we know? • GP “styles” • GPs with many encounters and episodes per year carry out more physical examinations, blood tests, radiology, advice, prescriptions and referrals than expected • GPs with more symptom diagnoses (e.g. cough, abdominal pain as against bronchitis, gastroenteritis) associated with fewer blood tests and little diagnostic radiology, more advice and therapeutic counselling Marinus AMF. Inter-doktervariatie in de huisartspraktijk . Amsterdam, the Netherlands 1993.
Presentation plan • Inter-doctor and inter-practice variation • Maltese context • What do we know? • Transition project data • Summary • Reflection
Presentation plan • Inter-doctor and inter-practice variation • Maltese context • What do we know? • Transition project data • Summary • Reflection
Summary • Primary care reform presents opportunities and challenges • Patients may gain accessibility to care, but the quality of care may change (less continuity) • Maltese GPs welcome change, but are wary of the challenges • Various practice styles exist • Circumstances are a moulding force • Working together will change the way we practice
Presentation plan • Inter-doctor and inter-practice variation • Maltese context • What do we know? • Transition project data • Summary • Reflection
Reflection • Doctors may take different approaches • Disease oriented, tests, treatment, referral • Symptom oriented, advising and counselling • Various other patterns • Patients will choose doctors on the basis of their approach • Think about how your patients will perceive you