What Factors Determine the Patients’ Choice in Finding Their Office Urologist?

PURPOSE: The present study aimed to investigate how patients identify a quality urologist in primary health care and how they determine and evaluate their provider’s qualities before their first examination. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A specific questionnaire (The ESUO Questionnaire) was prepared to describe the domains that influence the patient’s evaluation and summarize the urologist related characteristics and behaviours that the patients estimate are more important. A total of 335 patients, over 18 years of age, presented in primary healthcare urology practice, completed the survey. The participants were divided into three age groups; 18–39 years of age (111 patients), 40–59 years of age (111 patients) and 113 patients 60 years of age and older. RESULTS: The majority of patients (68.4%) selected that the urologist must be efficient and well trained. This attitude was primarily expressed in patients ≥60 years of age. Individuals under 60 years old stated that they expect a detailed examination and that the patient should be the urologist’s priority. The majority of the patients evaluates friends or family’s proposals concerning the urologist’s quality primarily and believes that there is at least good quality of urological health care. CONCLUSION: Most patients evaluate primarily the effectiveness of the care they receive instead of the urologist’s personality traits or personal relationships.