Israeli general practitioners’ dissatisfaction with their own primary healthcare

• Published in: Occupational medicine (Oxford) Vol. 68; no. 3; pp. 187 - 191
• Main Authors: Zacay, Galia, Hershkowitz Sikron, Fabienne, Heymann, Anthony David
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: UK Oxford University Press 17-05-2018
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Attitude of Health Personnel; Female; General Practitioners - psychology; Humans; Israel; Male; Middle Aged; Patient Satisfaction; Primary Health Care - methods; Primary Health Care - standards; Self Report; Surveys and Questionnaires; Israel; medical profession; primary healthcare; sick doctors; survey; Health service; physician
• ISSN: 0962-7480; 1471-8405
• DOI: 10.1093/occmed/kqy037

Abstract
Background
Many physicians treat themselves despite established guidelines against such practice.
Aims
To examine whether general practitioners (GPs) are satisfied with their personal primary care and how this could be improved.
Methods
We sent a questionnaire to GPs in Israel. We examined the gap between preference to use formal medical care and use in practice, satisfaction with physicians’ primary healthcare, self-prescribing and ways to improve physician access to care.
Results
There were 203 respondents (response rate 203/985; 21%). Sixty-one per cent reported not having a GP. Older respondents were less likely to have their own GP. Thirty-seven per cent of physicians reported receiving less formal medical care than they desired. This gap was higher in those reporting self-prescription of benzodiazepines and anti-depressants (P < 0.05) and was significantly associated with dissatisfaction with primary healthcare. Odds for being satisfied with personal care was reduced by more than 85% in GPs who reported receiving less formal medical care than they desired (odds ratio 0.146; 95% confidence interval 0.064–0.333).
Conclusions
Our findings inform the profile of physician self-treatment and the dissatisfaction associated with it. Dissatisfaction was associated with a gap between desired and actual care rather than with having or not having a personal GP. There was no consensus regarding what would assist physicians to access GPs.