List patient system: Straitjacket or a tool for developing general practice?: General practitioners' experiences from a pilot project in Norway

Abstract

Objective - To investigate attitudes and experiences among general practitioners (GPs) taking part in an experiment with a list patient system in four municipalities in Norway. Design - A questionnaire distributed to all 160 GPs in the four municipalities after 3 years' trial of the system. Setting - Primary health care in Norway. Main outcome measures-The opinions of physicians on a list patient system after 3 years of trial. Results - Most of the physicians held that the list patient system imposed more obligations than they were used to. However, the majority also held that the system enhanced preconditions for doing a good professional job; 68% wanted the system on a permanent basis, while 14% rejected it. Conclusion - Positive aspects outweigh negative aspects in the attitude of GPs to a list patient system.