Receptionists, appointment systems and continuity of care.
- 1 April 1989
- journal article
- Vol. 39 (321) , 145-7
Abstract
The influence of receptionists on continuity of care in four group practices was examined. Twenty two receptionists were observed making 543 appointments and afterwards were interviewed about their personal priority for continuity of care. One of the practices ran a personal list system. It was found that the personal list practice attracted more requests for a specific doctor and time which were then more difficult to satisfy. Most receptionists thought it was important that patients should see the same doctor but their influence seemed to be small compared with that of the doctor as expressed in practice policies. Marked variation in demand for individual doctors was seen in two of the practices without a personal list system.This publication has 8 references indexed in Scilit:
- Practice receptionists: poorly trained and taken for granted?1988
- Priority given by doctors to continuity of care.1985
- The role of the receptionist in general practice: A ‘dragon behind the desk’?Social Science & Medicine, 1985
- Continity of Care in General Practice: a Review and CritiqueFamily Practice, 1984
- Do appointment systems work?BMJ, 1982
- The key to personal care.1979
- Seeing the same doctor.1976
- The Effect of an Appointment System on Demand for Medical CareInternational Journal of Epidemiology, 1972