J Prev Med Public Health.  2019 Sep;52(5):323-332. 10.3961/jpmph.19.184.

Patients' and General Practitioners' Views About Preventive Care in Family Medicine in Switzerland: A Cross-sectional Study

Affiliations
  • 1Department of Family Medicine, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland. christine.cohidon@hospvd.ch
  • 2Center for Primary care and Public Health (Unisanté), University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.

Abstract


OBJECTIVES
The aim of this study was to describe general practitioners (GPs)' opinions and practices of preventive care and patients' opinions, attitudes, and behaviors towards prevention.
METHODS
The data stemmed from a cross-sectional national survey on prevention conducted in Switzerland from 2015 to 2016. In total, 170 randomly drawn GPs and 1154 of their patients participated. The GPs answered an online questionnaire and the patients answered a questionnaire administrated by fieldworkers present at their practices.
RESULTS
Both patients and GPs agreed that delivering preventive care is the dedicated role of a GP. It appeared that beyond classical topics of prevention such as cardiovascular risk factors, other prevention areas (e.g., cannabis consumption, immunization, occupational risks) were scarcely covered by GPs and reported as little-known by patients. In addition, GPs seemed to use a selective approach to prevention, responding to the clinical context, rather than a systematic approach to health promotion. The results also highlight possibilities to improve prevention in family medicine through options such as more supportive tools and public advertising, more time and more delegated tasks and, finally, a more recognized role.
CONCLUSIONS
Despite an unfavorable context of prevention within the healthcare system, preventive care in family medicine is reasonably good in Switzerland. However, some limitations appear regarding the topics and the circumstances of preventive care delivery. A global effort is needed to implement necessary changes, and the responsibility should be broadened to other stakeholders.

Keyword

General practitioner; Preventive care; Patients; Attitude; Practices; Switzerland

MeSH Terms

Cannabis
Cross-Sectional Studies*
Delivery of Health Care
General Practitioners
Health Personnel
Health Promotion
Humans
Immunization
Risk Factors
Switzerland*
Full Text Links
  • JPMPH
Actions
Cited
CITED
export Copy
Close
Share
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
Similar articles
Copyright © 2024 by Korean Association of Medical Journal Editors. All rights reserved.     E-mail: koreamed@kamje.or.kr