On April 28, the Health Council of Canada will release the third bulletin in the Canadian Health Care Matters series. Beyond the Basics: The Importance of Patient-Provider Interactions in Chronic Illness Care, is based on an analysis of data from the 2008 Commonwealth Fund International Health Policy Survey of Sicker Adults.

The bulletin found that, compared to Canadians with a regular doctor, but without the basic elements of good care, people whose doctor knows their history and helps to coordinate their care were:

• More likely to get recommended routine tests to monitor their conditions, such as – for diabetes patients – checks of their blood pressure, cholesterol, foot health, and haemoglobin A1C level;
• More likely to get clear advice about symptoms to watch for;
• More likely to have all their medications reviewed by a doctor or pharmacist;
• Less likely to have experienced a medication or medical error; and
• More likely to rate their care as excellent.

The report can be downloaded from the Health Council of Canada website, and will be featured in CARP’s May 14, 2010 newsletter.

http://bit.ly/BeyondTheBasics

Keywords: patient, doctors