OBJECTIVE: To examine the advantages and disadvantages of two different Health Care Systems from the perspective of Primary Care (PC) physicians. DESIGN: Qualitative research based on the analysis of documents written as diaries for the study. SETTING: Primary Care in the Canary Islands (Spain) and Alberta (Canada) CONTEXT AND PARTICIPANTS: Intentional sample to identify different profiles of physicians. METHOD: Participants were asked to write a document describing their work activities, including the impact of the organisational system and on their personal life. Two representatives of the health care system were asked to write a detailed description about how PC is organised in their country. Nine diaries were collected (5 from the Canary Islands and 4 from Alberta). Ritchie & Spencer framework was used for the analysis. RESULTS: In Alberta, physicians have access to more complementary tests; they can offer hospital care; they have to sort out administrative work; they can choose were to work; and can specialise in different types of health care services. In the Canary Islands physicians can have paid holidays and the administrative issues do not depend on them, patients have a physician assigned and seem to have more institutional support. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study allow us to constructively analyse the role of PC physicians, assess the advantages and re-think the disadvantages related to how we work in order to learn from other health care systems.
OBJECTIVE: To examine the advantages and disadvantages of two different Health Care Systems from the perspective of Primary Care (PC) physicians. DESIGN: Qualitative research based on the analysis of documents written as diaries for the study. SETTING: Primary Care in the Canary Islands (Spain) and Alberta (Canada) CONTEXT AND PARTICIPANTS: Intentional sample to identify different profiles of physicians. METHOD:Participants were asked to write a document describing their work activities, including the impact of the organisational system and on their personal life. Two representatives of the health care system were asked to write a detailed description about how PC is organised in their country. Nine diaries were collected (5 from the Canary Islands and 4 from Alberta). Ritchie & Spencer framework was used for the analysis. RESULTS: In Alberta, physicians have access to more complementary tests; they can offer hospital care; they have to sort out administrative work; they can choose were to work; and can specialise in different types of health care services. In the Canary Islands physicians can have paid holidays and the administrative issues do not depend on them, patients have a physician assigned and seem to have more institutional support. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study allow us to constructively analyse the role of PC physicians, assess the advantages and re-think the disadvantages related to how we work in order to learn from other health care systems.
Authors: María I Rodríguez-Idígoras; Jesús Sepúlveda-Muñoz; Ramón Sánchez-Garrido-Escudero; José L Martínez-González; José L Escolar-Castelló; Isabel M Paniagua-Gómez; Rosa Bernal-López; María V Fuentes-Simón; Daniel Garófano-Serrano Journal: Diabetes Technol Ther Date: 2009-07 Impact factor: 6.118
Authors: Donna P Manca; Stanley Varnhagen; Pamela Brett-MacLean; G Michael Allan; Olga Szafran; Allen Ausford; Carol Rowntree; Ismael Rumzan; Diana Turner Journal: Can Fam Physician Date: 2007-02 Impact factor: 3.275