Primary health care organizational characteristics associated with better accessibility: data from the QUALICO-PC survey in Quebec
Abstract Background First-contact accessibility remains an important problem in Canada, with this indicator staying the worst of all Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development countries. In the province of Quebec, a number of primary healthcare (PHC) organizations have adopted measures t...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2018-12-01
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| Series: | BMC Family Practice |
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| Online Access: | http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12875-018-0871-x |
| _version_ | 1818237644992151552 |
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| author | Andrée-Anne Paré-Plante Antoine Boivin Djamal Berbiche Mylaine Breton Maryse Guay |
| author_facet | Andrée-Anne Paré-Plante Antoine Boivin Djamal Berbiche Mylaine Breton Maryse Guay |
| author_sort | Andrée-Anne Paré-Plante |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background First-contact accessibility remains an important problem in Canada, with this indicator staying the worst of all Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development countries. In the province of Quebec, a number of primary healthcare (PHC) organizations have adopted measures to improve access (e.g. advance access scheduling, expanded nursing role, electronic medical record, financial incentives). The impact of those changes is unknown. The goal of this study is to assess which PHC organizations’ characteristics are associated with improved first-contact accessibility. Methods We conducted a secondary data analysis of the Quebec survey, conducted as part of the QUALICO-PC study on primary care performance. QUALICO-PC is a cross-sectional study to assess quality, costs and equity in PHC across 35 countries and jurisdictions. Organizational characteristics were measured from the family practitioners’ questionnaire. First-contact accessibility was measured from the patient questionnaire filled by patients who received care in the participating PHC organizations. Multi-level logistic regression was used to assess the association of organizational characteristics as predictors of patient-reported accessibility. Results A total of 218 family practitioners participated in the study with 1798 of their patients. PHC organizations characteristics associated with increased first-contact accessibility included the possibility to have a same-day appointment or to walk in the clinic without an appointment, higher number of physicians per clinic and higher number of hours worked by the family physician. Electronic medical record and expanded nursing role were not associated with increased accessibility. Conclusions Same-day access and higher family physician working hours are associated with improved patient-reported accessibility. Other PHC organizations characteristics targeted by recent reforms were not associated with improved accessibility. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-12T12:29:03Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-b7f9b724a20b483a96a021604382b03e |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1471-2296 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-12T12:29:03Z |
| publishDate | 2018-12-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMC Family Practice |
| spelling | doaj.art-b7f9b724a20b483a96a021604382b03e2022-12-22T00:24:29ZengBMCBMC Family Practice1471-22962018-12-011911810.1186/s12875-018-0871-xPrimary health care organizational characteristics associated with better accessibility: data from the QUALICO-PC survey in QuebecAndrée-Anne Paré-Plante0Antoine Boivin1Djamal Berbiche2Mylaine Breton3Maryse Guay4Département de Médecine de Famille et de Médecine d’Urgence de l‘Université de SherbrookeDépartement de Médecine de Famille et Médecine d’Urgence de l’Université de MontrealCentre de recherche Charles-Le Moyne - Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean sur les innovations en santéCentre de recherche Charles-Le Moyne - Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean sur les innovations en santéCentre de recherche Charles-Le Moyne - Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean sur les innovations en santéAbstract Background First-contact accessibility remains an important problem in Canada, with this indicator staying the worst of all Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development countries. In the province of Quebec, a number of primary healthcare (PHC) organizations have adopted measures to improve access (e.g. advance access scheduling, expanded nursing role, electronic medical record, financial incentives). The impact of those changes is unknown. The goal of this study is to assess which PHC organizations’ characteristics are associated with improved first-contact accessibility. Methods We conducted a secondary data analysis of the Quebec survey, conducted as part of the QUALICO-PC study on primary care performance. QUALICO-PC is a cross-sectional study to assess quality, costs and equity in PHC across 35 countries and jurisdictions. Organizational characteristics were measured from the family practitioners’ questionnaire. First-contact accessibility was measured from the patient questionnaire filled by patients who received care in the participating PHC organizations. Multi-level logistic regression was used to assess the association of organizational characteristics as predictors of patient-reported accessibility. Results A total of 218 family practitioners participated in the study with 1798 of their patients. PHC organizations characteristics associated with increased first-contact accessibility included the possibility to have a same-day appointment or to walk in the clinic without an appointment, higher number of physicians per clinic and higher number of hours worked by the family physician. Electronic medical record and expanded nursing role were not associated with increased accessibility. Conclusions Same-day access and higher family physician working hours are associated with improved patient-reported accessibility. Other PHC organizations characteristics targeted by recent reforms were not associated with improved accessibility.http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12875-018-0871-xPrimary health careQuebecSurveySecondary data analysisFirst-contact accessibility |
| spellingShingle | Andrée-Anne Paré-Plante Antoine Boivin Djamal Berbiche Mylaine Breton Maryse Guay Primary health care organizational characteristics associated with better accessibility: data from the QUALICO-PC survey in Quebec BMC Family Practice Primary health care Quebec Survey Secondary data analysis First-contact accessibility |
| title | Primary health care organizational characteristics associated with better accessibility: data from the QUALICO-PC survey in Quebec |
| title_full | Primary health care organizational characteristics associated with better accessibility: data from the QUALICO-PC survey in Quebec |
| title_fullStr | Primary health care organizational characteristics associated with better accessibility: data from the QUALICO-PC survey in Quebec |
| title_full_unstemmed | Primary health care organizational characteristics associated with better accessibility: data from the QUALICO-PC survey in Quebec |
| title_short | Primary health care organizational characteristics associated with better accessibility: data from the QUALICO-PC survey in Quebec |
| title_sort | primary health care organizational characteristics associated with better accessibility data from the qualico pc survey in quebec |
| topic | Primary health care Quebec Survey Secondary data analysis First-contact accessibility |
| url | http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12875-018-0871-x |
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