Comparison of primary care in hospital- and community-based practices

A comparison of the strengths and challenges of primary care between hospital-based practices and community-based office practices was observed in a cross-sectional study in Japan. Each type of practice had its strengths in terms of patient experiences and challenges. Patients at community-based office practices reported better patient experiences of community orientation than those in hospital-based practices. Hospital-based practices were associated with better patient experience of first contact, compared with office-based practices. Six small and medium-sized hospitals and 19 community-based office practices participated in the study of 1,725 patients. Patient experience was measured using a Japanese version of the Primary Care Assessment Tool, which was comprised of first contact, longitudinality, coordination, comprehensiveness (services provided), and community orientation. Understanding the strengths of each practice type with respect to patient experience may inform future efforts to improve the patient experience overall.

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Comparison of Primary Care Experience in Hospital-Based Practices and Community-Based Office Practices in Japan

Takuya Aoki, MD, PhD, MMA, et al
Kyoto University, Department of Healthcare Epidemiology, School of Public Health in the Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan
http://www.annfammed.org/content/18/1/24