Title: The Commonwealth Fund 2003 National Survey of Physicians and Quality of Care
Country: United States
Survey Organization: Harris Interactive
Field Dates: March 17–May 30, 2003
Sample: Physicians randomly selected from the American Medical Association list who are involved in direct patient care and have been in practice at least 3 years post-residency
Sample Size: 1,837 physicians
Interview Method: Self-administered questionnaire
This survey explores physicians' use of quality improvement tools, including information technology tools, future plans to initiate quality improvement activities, views of potential solutions and barriers, as well as physicians' access to data on their practices and performance and their willingness to share such data.
According to the survey, few physicians have incorporated quality improvement methods into their practices. Only one-third of doctors have been involved in any redesign efforts aimed at improving performance. And just a third have access to any data about the quality of their own clinical performance, while seven of 10 physicians do not feel the public should have access to quality-of-care data. The survey also revealed only about a quarter (27%) of doctors reported using an electronic medical record routinely or occasionally.
To view the survey questions, download the attachment posted at right. To read analyses of the survey, see the Fund publications under Related Resources.
