Abstract
The aim of this study was to gain knowledge about the way in which costsharing influence patients choices and thinking about quality in health care. Nineteen persons, choosen among parents to children registred in a child welfare clinic together with patients and personal from two health care units, where inteviewed. A taperecorder was used for documentation of the interviews and the statements where analysed through a common qualitative method.
The results showed that peoples choices of doctors are influenced by a lot of different factors. Important factors are the kind of problem the persons suffer from, the doctors personal and professional skills and accessability. Costsharing has a minor importance and depends on the persons economic situation. Pricedifferencies between doctors influence the opinion about qualitydistinctions. Different degrees of out of pocket payments between doctors is used by the county council to influence patients choices but that effect seems to be reduced by the difference in expectation of quality.
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