Improving physician compliance with a health maintenance protocol

A two-year prospective study was conducted to determine whether specific educational, organizational, and behavior reinforcing interventions could improve physician performance of selected health maintenance procedures in the private practice setting. The procedures studied included history of tobac...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inThe Journal of family practice Vol. 19; no. 3; p. 341
Main Authors Frame, P S, Kowulich, B A, Llewellyn, A M
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States 01.09.1984
Subjects
Cooperative Behavior
Education, Medical, Continuing
Family Practice
Humans
New York
Physicians - psychology
Physicians, Family - education
Preventive Health Services
Prospective Studies
Rural Health
New York
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Summary:A two-year prospective study was conducted to determine whether specific educational, organizational, and behavior reinforcing interventions could improve physician performance of selected health maintenance procedures in the private practice setting. The procedures studied included history of tobacco use, blood pressure determination, history of alcohol use, fecal occult blood testing for colon cancer, Pap smears, and physician breast examinations. Overall compliance with these procedures improved from 58 percent to 72 percent. There were marked differences in compliance among the procedures, ranging from 99 percent of patients having their blood pressure recorded to 51 percent having a fecal occult blood screening for colon cancer. Compliance with use of a screening flow sheet was much less than compliance with specific procedures. The screening flow sheet was completed on only 29 percent of patients' charts.
ISSN:0094-3509