How do we compare with our colleagues? Quality of general practitioner performance in consultations for non-acute abdominal complaints.

Objective: To investigate what factors influence the quality of general practitioner performance in consultations for non-acute abdominal complaints and to establish the extent to which performance quality differs between general practitioners (GPs).

Design: Explorative study in two parts: (i) detection of variables influencing quality scores of consultations; and (ii) comparison of mean quality scores of the consultations, selected by each GP.

Setting: Sixty-two family practices across The Netherlands.

Do better quality consultations result in better health? Relationship between quality of consultations and health status of patients with non-acute abdominal complaints in general practice.

Background: In theory, a positive relationship is expected between the quality of a consultation and a patient's subsequent health status. However, such a relationship has not yet been firmly established in daily practice.

Objective: We aimed to study the relationship between the quality of the first consultation in a new episode of non-acute abdominal complaints and subsequent health status of patients in general practice.

How well are patients treated in family practice? Quality of consultations for non-acute abdominal complaints.

Objective: To describe the application of weighted review criteria, developed by the Delphi technique, for the assessment of the quality of consultations concerning non-acute, abdominal complaints.

Design: Descriptive study in two parts: (i) comparison of actual family doctor (FD)-performance with predefined review criteria; (ii) calculation of quality scores per consultation, utilizing the weighted criteria.

Settings: Sixty-two family practices across The Netherlands.