SOC 572 Quality of Care: A Five Country Comparison

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SOC 572 - Quality of Care A Five Country
Comparison

• James G. Anderson, Ph.D.
• Purdue University

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Physicians Surveyed

• 517 Australia
• 533 Canada
• 500 U.K.
• 493 New Zealand
• 528 U.S.

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Physicians Views on Quality of Care
4
Percent of physicians who said their ability to
provide quality care had gotten worse
5
Percent of physicians who were very concerned
that quality of care will decline in the future

6
Percent of physicians who were very concerned
that patients will wait longer for treatment in
the future
7
Concerns About Hospital Care
8
Percent of physicians who rate the hospital in
which they practice as fair or poor on finding
and addressing medical errors
9
Percent of physicians who rate the hospital in
which they practice as discouraging the reporting
of medical errors
10
Percent of physicians who rate the hospital in
which they practice as fair or poor on nursing
staff levels
11
Percent of physicians who rate the hospital in
which they practice as fair or poor on emergency
room facilities
12
Perceived Problems in health Care
13
Physicians Perceived Problems in Health Care
14
Physicians Perceived Problems in Health Care
15
Patient Problems
16
Percent of physicians who perceive patient
difficulty in affording out-of pocket costs
17
Percent of physicians who perceive that patients
get sicker because they can not afford to get the
health care they need
18
Percent of physicians who perceive that patients
can not afford to get the health care they need

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Percent of physicians who perceive that patients
often do not receive preventive care
20
Percent of physicians who perceive that patients
often lack access to the newest drugs and medical
technology
21
Improving Quality of Care
22
Physicians views on ways to improve care
23
Physicians views on ways to improve care
24
Satisfaction with the Health Care System
25
Perception that the health care system requires
fundamental change or complete rebuilding Public
versus Physicians
26
Policy Implications

• In all five countries physicians perceive the
  quality of care as deteriorating despite
  increased national spending.
• Efforts to contain costs are viewed as harmful to
  patient care.
• National health systems are viewed as plagued
  with shortages of health professionals and
  inadequate facilities and equipment.
• The U.S. health care system differs from the
  others.
• Concern that patients are unable to pay for
  needed care
• Patients going without prescription medications
• Concerned about external review of clinical
  decisions interfering with their ability to
  provide care

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Policy Implications

• The U.S. health care system differs from the
  others.
• Concern that patients are unable to pay for
  needed care
• Patients going without prescription medications
• Concerned about external review of clinical
  decisions interfering with their ability to
  provide care
• In all five countries, cost containment efforts
  are viewed as a direct threat to patients.
• In all five countries physicians were concerned
  that not enough is being done to address the
  problem of medical errors.
• Physicians in all countries reported a serious
  nursing shortage.
• Physicians place a high priority on providing new
  information technology (e.g., EMRs, E-prescribing)

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Reference

• R.J. Blendon et al., Physicians Views on Quality
  of Care A Five Country Comparison, Health
  Affairs, Vol. 20, No. 3, May/June 2001, pp.
  233-243.