Usual Source of Care and Communication Between Physician and Patients: Patient Experiences in the Korea Health Panel Survey (KHPS)

Abstract

In a patient-centered-care system, patients no longer simply follow the instructions of physicians, but should be able to communicate with them in a cooperative manner. The purpose of this study is to analyze whether the usual source of care, one of the factors enabling the implementation of a patient-centered-care system, actually affects the physician-patient communication in terms of patient experience. Data from the 2017 KHPS were used, and a logistic regression analysis was conducted after controlling for demographic factors. The study found that groups without a usual source of care did not spend sufficient time talking to physicians (OR=1.65; p<.01), had a hard time understanding the physician’s explanations (OR=1.51; p<.01), lacked the opportunity to ask questions or express concerns (OR=1.73; p<.01), and had insufficient respect for their own opinion on the treatment decision (OR=1.32; p=0.00). These results indicate the need of a usual source of care for patients to better ensure sufficient treatment time so as to improve patients’ experience in physician-patient communication, as the usual source of care should be considered the major means to increase patient participation in effective communication and treatment.