Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2010 Sep;28(3):185-90.
doi: 10.3109/02813432.2010.505447.

Attachment in the doctor-patient relationship in general practice: a qualitative study

Heidi Bøgelund Frederiksen  1 , Jakob Kragstrup, Birgitte Dehlholm-Lambertsen
Affiliations

Attachment in the doctor-patient relationship in general practice: a qualitative study

Heidi Bøgelund Frederiksen et al. Scand J Prim Health Care. 2010 Sep.

Abstract

Objective: To explore why interpersonal continuity with a regular doctor is valuable to patients.

Design, setting, and subjects: A qualitative study based on 22 interviews with patients, 12 who saw their regular general practitioner (GP) and 10 who saw an unfamiliar GP. The patients were selected after an observed consultation and sampled purposively according to reason for encounter, age, and sex. The research question was answered by means of psychological theory.

Results: A need for attachment was a central issue for the understanding of the value of interpersonal continuity for patients. The patients explained that they preferred to create a personal relationship with their GP and the majority expressed a degree of vulnerability in the doctor-patient relationship. The more sick or worried they were the more vulnerable and the more in need of a regular GP. Furthermore, patients stated that it was difficult for them to change GP even if they had a poor relationship.

Conclusion: Attachment theory may provide an explanation for patients' need to see a regular GP. The vulnerability of being a patient creates a need for attachment to a caregiver. This need is fundamental and is activated in adults when they are sick or scared.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Pandhi N, Saultz JW. Patients' perceptions of interpersonal continuity of care. J Am Board Fam Med. 2006;19:390–7. - PubMed
    1. Von Bultzingslowen I, Eliasson G, Sarvimaki A, Mattsson B, Hjortdahl P. Patients' views on interpersonal continuity in primary care: A sense of security based on four core foundations. Fam Pract. 2006;23:210–9. - PubMed
    1. Turner D, Tarrant C, Windridge K, Bryan S, Boulton M, Freeman G, et al. Do patients value continuity of care in general practice? An investigation using stated preference discrete choice experiments. J Health Serv Res Policy. 2007;12:132–7. - PubMed
    1. Baker R, Boulton M, Windridge K, Tarrant C, Bankart J, Freeman GK. Interpersonal continuity of care: A cross-sectional survey of primary care patients' preferences and their experiences. Brit J Gen Pract. 2007;57:283–9. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Guthrie B, Wyke S. Personal continuity and access in UK general practice: A qualitative study of general practitioners' and patients' perceptions of when and how they matter. BMC Fam Pract. 2006;7:11. - PMC - PubMed