The Journal of the American Board of Family Practice, Vol 11, Issue 1 23-27, Copyright © 1998 by American Board of Family Practice

ARTICLES

New-patient self-history questionnaires in primary care

R. A. Guthmann
Department of Internal Medicine, Northwestern University Medical School, Chicago, IL 60657, USA.

BACKGROUND: In the current environment of increasing health care efficiency, the benefits of patient self-history questionnaires need to be fully explored. The utility and reliability of new-patient self-history questionnaires have been documented in the medical literature. This study investigates the prevalence of these patient self-history forms in primary care offices. METHODS: A sample of primary care offices listed in the yellow pages by specialty were surveyed by telephone. Survey questions included the use of new-patient self-history questionnaires as well as other characteristics about the offices. Findings from offices using questionnaires were compared with findings from offices not using questionnaires. RESULTS: Of 129 offices contacted by telephone, 116 (90 percent) responded. Of the 116 offices surveyed, 53 percent were using new-patient self-history questionnaires. Offices using questionnaires had more patients in managed care (P = 0.028) and fewer patients insured by Medicare or Medicaid (P = 0.002). There were no significant differences in other office characteristics. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that primary care offices underutilize new-patient self-history questionnaires.

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				C. O. Hershey and B. J. B. Grant Controlled Trial of a Patient-Completed History Questionnaire: Effects on Quality of Documentation and Patient and Physician Satisfaction American Journal of Medical Quality, July 1, 2002; 17(4): 126 - 135. [Abstract] [PDF]