What do Primary Care Patients Want?

Michael E. Johansen

doi:10.1370/afm.250081

The Annals of Family Medicine encourages readers to develop a learning community to improve health and health care through enhanced primary care. With the Annals Journal Club, we encourage diverse participants—particularly among students, trainees, residents, and interns—to think critically about and discuss important issues affecting primary care, and even consider how their discussions might inform their practice.

HOW IT WORKS

The Annals provides discussion tips and questions related to one original research article in each issue. We welcome you to post a summary of your conversation to our eLetters section, a forum for readers to share their responses to Annals articles. Further information and links to previous Annals Journal Club features can be found on our website.

CURRENT SELECTION

Shumer G, Chen D, Hokeboer J, et al. Convenience or continuity: when are patients willing to wait to see their own doctor? Ann Fam Med. 2025; 23(2): 151-157. doi:10.1370/afm.240299

DISCUSSION TIPS

Primary care has the potential to fill numerous potential roles for patients who are seeking medical care. These roles, however, can contain trade-offs such as building in more access for acute complaints or prioritizing more preventative care visits. Additionally, urgent care facilities have proliferated in recent years that allow for nearly instantaneous access to care, but at the expense of continuity and a personal relationship with a clinician. There has been a relative dearth of research about who and when patients prefer to see their primary care physician for particular visits and how long patients might be willing to wait for particular types of care.

Discussion Questions

What question is asked by this study and why does it matter?
How does this study advance beyond previous research and clinical practice on this topic?
How strong is the study design for answering the question?
To what degree can the findings be accounted for by:
1. The sample frame of the survey
2. The response rate and potential differences between survey respondents and non-respondents
3. The survey questions and how they were asked
What does it mean to use survey weights? Why did the authors use them in this study? What are the strengths and weaknesses of using survey weights?
What is a collider bias or Berkson’s paradox? How could this apply to this study?
What are the main study findings? Did any of the findings surprise you?
How comparable is the study sample to similar patients in your practice or region? What is your judgment about the transportability of the findings?
How might this study change your practice? Policy? Education? Research?
Who are the constituencies for the findings, and how might they be engaged in interpreting or using the findings?
What are the next steps in interpreting or applying the findings?
What researchable questions remain?