American women want a healthcare system in which they and their families can conveniently obtain preventive services, see their personal physicians the day they become sick, and receive coordinated follow-up care if they require hospitalization or care from other physicians, according to a poll released May 29 by the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP). The poll obtained responses from 1,193 American women who said they were the primary healthcare decision makers for themselves and/or their family members.
Among the poll’s findings: 43 percent of the respondents said they have had to fill out complete patient histories and other forms at each medical provider’s office; 26 percent said they have had to inform one medical provider what another had recommended or diagnosed; and 16 percent have had to carry lab reports, X-rays, and other test results from one medical provider’s office to another.
Also, 68 percent of the respondents said same-day appointments with their/their family members’ primary care physician for unexpected illnesses were extremely/very important, 63 percent said one physician who can manage chronic medical conditions was extremely/very important, and 57 percent said one physician who can provide high-quality health care to all family members regardless of age or gender was extremely/very important. Read the executive summary.
