Awareness of the role of general practitioners in primary care among outpatient populations: evidence from a cross-sectional survey of tertiary hospitals in China

OBJECTIVE: General practitioners (GPs) are highly underutilised in China with many patients going directly to hospitals when seeking routine care. Multiple countries around the world have successfully used GPs in routine care, and as such, China may benefit from the use of GPs. This study examines the status of, and factors associated with, knowledge related to GPs among outpatient populations from China’s tertiary hospitals. DESIGN: This is a cross-sectional survey study. STUDY SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: The questionnaires were completed by 565 outpatients from four tertiary hospitals in China during 2016. Convenience sampling on different floors and throughout the outpatient building was carried out. PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURES: We used the logistic regression models to identify GP-related knowledge among different populations. RESULTS: Overall, 50.27% of respondents said they had never heard of GPs. This was also true among females (adjusted OR (AOR)=1.57, 95% CI 1.43 to 2.71), older adults (AOR(46–65)=1.61, 95% CI 1.39 to 2.98; AOR(>65)=2.01, 95% CI 1.62 to 3.59), those with lower education level (AOR(Bachelor’s degree)=0.61, 95% CI 0.20 to 0.81; AOR(≥Master’s degree)=0.49, 95% CI 0.23 to 0.76), rural residents (AOR=1.51, 95% CI 1.35 to 2.82) and those with chronic disease (AOR(without chronic disease)=0.61, 95% CI 0.22 to 0.71). What is more, less than one-in-ten (9.03%) outpatients were able to accurately describe what a GP was, with less than 30% accurately describing a GP among those receiving GPs’ services. CONCLUSIONS: Outpatients who could have received less costly health services from GPs in primary medical institutions were more likely to choose costlier specialist physicians in tertiary hospitals, which is likely linked to limited knowledge about GPs. Policy makers should invest in outreach efforts to improve public awareness of GPs, while at the same time conducting continued surveillance of these efforts to evaluate progress towards this goal.