To treat? To befriend? To prevent? : patients' and GPs' views ofthe doctor's role
Sammanfattning
Beliefs about the doctors' role and beliefs about patients' reasons for going to the doctor in terms of illness treatment a psychosocial approach and preventive health care were studied. A majority of both patients and GPs agreed that the doctor's role was primarily to treat illness. However, more patients believed that patients visit the doctor for illness prevention than GPs, more of whom felt that patients seek help with their personal problems. The results indicate a mismatch between patients' and GPs' beliefs, which has implications for understanding the impact of recent changes in primary care and the effects on GPs' job satisfaction.