Objective: To investigate GPs' perceptions of consultation outcomes and to investigate the associations between these and outcomes perceived by the patients.
Design: 25 GPs and 10 patients for each GP filled in a questionnaire about the outcome of the same consultation. The questions in the questionnaires were formulated from concepts found in preceding qualitative studies. Their answers were analysed and compared.
Setting: GPs and patients from 16 group practices in Norrbotten, Sweden.
Results: The GPs had the apprehension that their consultations would lead to cure/symptom relief in half of their consultations. They believed that their patients were satisfied up to 90% and that up to 75% had been reassured, understood more or could cope better. The GPs were satisfied themselves with up to 95% of the consultations, they enhanced their relationship to their patient up to 70%. Their affirmative concordance with their patients was high regarding satisfaction, intermediate regarding patient reassurance and patient understanding and lowest regarding cure/symptom relief.
Conclusion: The GPs' were lacking in their ability to assess the patients' increased understanding and the concordance between their own and the patients' expectation of cure/symptom relief was low.