We investigated patients’ impressions of the effectiveness of treatment provided by health centre physicians. Were the patients’ expectations met, and were the consultations considered effective? Which factors affected consultation success?

The study was conducted in 16 municipalities in the Kanta-Häme region Finland in 2004. Primary healthcare services to these municipalities are provided by five health centres. The municipalities’ total population was 166 648 (31 December 2003).

The data were collected during telephone interviews, supplemented by a mail survey. The study population (2600) was drawn from the Finnish Population Information System by random sampling. A total of 1751 inhabitants participated in the study (response rate: 67%). The respondents were considered able to evaluate treatment effectiveness if they had visited a health centre physician because of an illness or an accident during the past 12 months. Seven hundred and twenty-nine respondents met these criteria.

Most respondents (73%) found that their treatment corresponded with their expectations. According to a logistic regression analysis, the factors that best explained whether the patient’s treatment expectations were met included the physician’s respect for the patient, the consultation duration and the reason for the visit. Of the respondents, 70% thought the consultation had been effective. Factors explaining consultation effectiveness included consultation duration, physician’s respect for the patient and whether the consultation was scheduled within three days. In conclusion, the physician–patient consultations seemed to be very good and clearly worth the effort. Notably, we observed that the same factors helped to explain whether the patient’s treatment expectations were met, and whether the patient found the consultation effective.