Rationing Healthcare: A Survey of Danish General Practitioners
Author Information
Author(s): Lauridsen Sigurd MR, Norup Michael, Rossel Peter
Primary Institution: Institute of Public Health, University of Copenhagen
Hypothesis
Do general practitioners in Denmark consider cost-quality trade-offs in their clinical decision-making?
Conclusion
Most general practitioners in Denmark consider cost-quality trade-offs relevant to their clinical decisions, but only about half would inform patients about this consideration.
Supporting Evidence
- 95% of GPs considered cost-quality trade-offs relevant to their clinical decision-making.
- 90% reported that cost-quality trade-offs had been relevant in the last month.
- 55% would inform patients about cost-quality trade-offs in their decisions.
Takeaway
Doctors in Denmark often think about how much treatments cost when deciding what to prescribe, but many don't tell their patients about it.
Methodology
A postal survey was conducted with 600 randomly selected Danish GPs, with 330 responses analyzed using descriptive statistics and significance tests.
Potential Biases
Potential bias in responses due to social desirability or the hypothetical nature of the questions.
Limitations
The study relied on hypothetical scenarios, which may not reflect actual decision-making in practice.
Participant Demographics
64% male, 36% female, mean age 53 years, with a distribution similar to the general population of GPs in Denmark.
Statistical Information
P-Value
p < 0.001
Statistical Significance
p < 0.001
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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