Unemployed people less satisfied with GP communications

Unemployed individuals are more likely to contact general practitioners (GPs) and to accept help for psychosocial burden, a recent study has found.

However, this population also tends to be less satisfied with GP communication, particularly in terms of the problems GPs take seriously, having enough space in consultations, and feeling comfortable to address sensitive topics.

The present cross-sectional study drew from the German Health Interview and Examination Survey for Adults and assessed the GP contact patterns of 5,938 participants, of whom 372 were unemployed at the time of survey. Age and sex distribution were comparable between the employed and unemployed groups, though the latter had significantly higher chronic stress and were more likely to have at least one chronic disease.

Compared with employed counterparts, adults who were currently unemployed visited their GP significantly more frequently during the past 12 months (mean, 4.50 vs 2.86; p<0.001). Meanwhile, having a GP did not differ between groups (p=0.607).

The researchers then looked at the General Practice Care-1 study, a separate, cross-sectional survey including 813 respondents that assessed the patients’ communication with their GPs. They found that unemployed patients were significantly less satisfied with GP care, with only 42.9 percent agreeing with the statement “my doctor gives me enough space to describe personal strains” as opposed to 60.3 percent of employed counterparts (p=0.043).

Similarly, fewer unemployed participants agreed that their doctor made them feel comfortable when talking about sensitive issues (44.1 percent vs 65.9 percent; p=0.01) and that their doctors took their problems very seriously (48.6 percent vs 70.6 percent; p=0.007).

“GPs should be aware of patients with unemployment experience as a risk group for adverse outcomes and should be prepared to intensify communication to address their needs. Our study highlights the openness of unemployed patients to accept professional help as an important resource,” the researchers said.