Types of Usual Source of Care and Patient-Centered Communications

BACKGROUND: A usual source of care (USC) is related to longitudinal and personalized services, which are attributes of primary care. Patient-centered communication, an important element of patient-centered care, helps physicians understand health problems from a patient’s point of view. We analyzed the association between USC and patient-centered communication. METHODS: Data from the Korea Health Panel 2018 were used in the analysis. Patient-centered communication scores were obtained by combining the four communication-related questionnaire items. Usual source of care types were categorized based on responses to two questionnaire items: no USC, a place without a regular doctor and with a regular doctor. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to adjust for confounders. RESULTS: Good communication rate was higher for those with a regular doctor (71.8%) than for those with no USC (61.8%) or a place only (61.5%). Those with a regular doctor had better communication (odds ratio, 1.49 for individuals with poor/moderate health, and 2.08 for those with good health) than those without a USC after adjusting for confounders. In terms of communication, no difference was observed between individuals with no USC and those with a place only. CONCLUSION: Having a regular doctor promotes communication between patients and doctors. Good communication may be a mediator between having a regular doctor and related beneficial outcomes. Better communication by having a regular doctor, along with several other benefits identified in previous studies suggests the need for a health policy that encourages individuals to have regular doctors.