Evaluating the quality of primary care from the consumer perspective : Development of instruments adapted to the Canadian context

As the reform of primary health care advances, the impact of these reforms must be evaluated on existing and proposed models of health care. Methods of evaluation have been developed; however, their validity for Canada isn¿t clear. This study intends to define what aspects of care need to be evaluated in the Canadian context and to compare the existing evaluation tools regarding their measurement properties and acceptability to patients. A panel of primary care experts across Canada will, by repeated consultation, arrive at a consensus on aspects of primary care to be evaluated in Canada. They will also identify which of the existing questionnaires best seem to measure these aspects. English and French versions of these questionnaires will be tested on 720 health care users in Quebec and Nova Scotia. Study participants will reflect the range of users in terms of use of health care experience and demographic characteristics. The result will be a set of questionnaires, in French and in English, that will evaluate the primary heath care system from the user¿s perspectives. These will provide information to the Canadian public about the performance of the primary care system.