Old-aged patients’ experiences with patient-centered primary health care in Serbia

Abstract

Abstract Objective The population in Serbia is getting older, with the population aged 65+ increasing from 17.2% to 19.6% (2007-2017). As people age, their health needs become more complex and health services must be adopted to their needs. Patient-centeredness is regarded as the basis for modern healthcare services. Patients' satisfaction surveys are widely used to identify experiences of patients, including old ones. The aim of this study was to assess old-patient centeredness of primary healthcare (PHC) in Serbia according to patients' experiences with healthcare workers. Methods Between 2009 and 2015 cross-sectional studies were conducted in 169 Serbian PHC centers (160.948 patients), thereby using a questionnaire referring to socio-demographic characteristics, preventive care counseling, experiences with general practitioners (GPs) (knowledge of patients' health status, listening, giving clear explanations concerning illness and medicines), nurses (friendliness and provision of information), co-payment for healthcare and the overall satisfaction with PHC. Non-parametric tests (Chi-square and Kruskal-Wallis) were used for statistical analyses. Results A large portion of the respondents asserted to be satisfied or very satisfied with the obtained PHC services, the majority had positive experiences with GPs and nurses. About one third (32.7%) of patients were 60 years or older. Significant differences concerning the number of positive experiences in contact with GPs and nurses were found between age groups. In both domains patients 60 years or older, had more positive experiences and were overall more satisfied with PHC services than younger (p < 0.001). Conclusions The results show that old aged patients have positive experiences with GPs and nurses in Serbian PHC. Primary health care meets their needs and can be regarded as patient-centered. The main limitation of the study was the lack of a questionnaire specific for old aged, which could better explore their needs and experiences. Key messages Patient-centeredness is regarded as the basis for modern healthcare services and doctors and nurses have leading role in providing patient-centered healthcare. Old aged patients have specific healthcare needs and health systems have big challenge in obtaining adequate health care with good health outcomes.