DEFINITION OF CONCEPT | OPERATIONAL DEFINITIONS OF MINIMUM EXPECTATIONS |
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Accessibility: The ability of a person to obtain needed care, including advice and support, from his or her practitioner of choice within a time frame appropriate to the urgency of the problem12 | First-contact accessibility: Confidence that patients could get advice or orientation within 1 day from their regular providers if they suddenly got sick and needed care at various times of day (4 items rated on a scale of 1 to 4, expected—3)
Organizational accessibility: Rating of office location, hours of operation, wait times for appointments, and ease of contacting the clinic and the regular physician (6 items rated on scale of 1 to 6, expected—4.5) |
Relational continuity: A therapeutic relationship with a provider that spans more than 1 episode of care and leads to a sense of clinical responsibility in the provider and accumulated knowledge of a patient’s personal and medical context13 | Physician-patient affiliation: Ability to identify a regular physician who knows the patient and takes principal responsibility for his or her health care (3 items rated on a scale of 0 to 4, expected—3)
Accumulated knowledge: Confidence that a physician knows a patient’s medical history and personal situation (7 items rated on a scale of 1 to 4, expected—3) Care management: Confidence that a physician will manage care beyond the current clinical encounter (6 items rated on a scale of 1 to 4, expected—3) |
Coordination and continuity: Delivery of services by different providers in a timely and complementary manner such that patients’ care is connected and coherent13 | Coordination with specialists: Confidence that primary care physician and specialist will collaborate and communicate in patient’s care (8 items rated on a scale of 1 to 4, expected—3) |
Comprehensive care: Provision of a full range of services to meet patients’ health care needs, including health promotion and disease prevention and management of common conditions12 | Health promotion and preventive care: Recall of physician having addressed at least two thirds of the recommended age- and sex-appropriate strategies to maintain health (list varied for age and sex, expected—67% of strategies “probably” or “definitely” addressed) |