ArticleThe British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners2014
Relationship continuity: when and why do primary care patients think it is safer?
Article in The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 31 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
31 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Access or continuity: a zero sum game? A systematic review of the literature examining the relationship between access and continuity in primary healthcare.BMC primary care · 2025Pooled it
- General practitioner strategies for managing patients with multimorbidity: a systematic review and thematic synthesis of qualitative research.BMC family practice · 2020Pooled it
- The Contribution of Patient, Primary Care Physician, and Primary Care Clinic Factors to Good Bone Health Care.The Permanente journal · 2021Trial
- Patient perceptions of relational continuity in England: insights from two cross-sectional surveys.BJGP open · 2025Article
- Patients' loyalty to primary care institutions and associated factors in China: a cross-sectional study.BMC health services research · 2025Article
- Continuity of care: trust-based relationship and availability of personalized information in user experience.Cadernos de saude publica · 2025Article
- Healthcare of patients with atopic dermatitis by general practitioners - a nationwide survey in Germany.Journal der Deutschen Dermatologischen Gesellschaft = Journal of the German Society of Dermatology : JDDG · 2024Article
- Exploring the lack of continuity of care in older cancer patients under China's 'integrated health system' reform.Age and ageing · 2024Article
- Understanding access to general practice through the lens of candidacy: a critical review of the literature.The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners · 2024Review
- Ongoing Decline in Continuity With GPs in English General Practices: A Longitudinal Study Across the COVID-19 Pandemic.Annals of family medicine · 2024Article
- Towards understanding and improving medication safety for patients with mental illness in primary care: A multimethod study.Health expectations : an international journal of public participation in health care and health policy · 2024Article
- Article
- Barriers and Enablers Experienced by General Practitioners in Delivering Safe and Equitable Care during COVID-19: A Qualitative Investigation in Two Countries.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- Why does continuity of care with family doctors matter? Review and qualitative synthesis of patient and physician perspectives.Canadian family physician Medecin de famille canadien · 2021Review
- Continuity of Mental Health Care at Community Health Centers and Reduced Emergency Department Visits for Suicidal Ideation/Self-Harm.Community mental health journal · 2021Article
- What mechanisms could link GP relational continuity to patient outcomes?The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners · 2021Article
- Developing a patient safety guide for primary care: A co-design approach involving patients, carers and clinicians.Health expectations : an international journal of public participation in health care and health policy · 2021Article
- Exploring the experiences of changes to support access to primary health care services and the impact on the quality and safety of care for homeless people during the COVID-19 pandemic: a study protocol for a qualitative mixed methods approach.International journal for equity in health · 2021Article
- Continuity of care is associated with satisfaction with local health care services.BMC family practice · 2020Article
- Relational continuity and patients' perception of GP trust and respect: a qualitative study.The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners · 2020Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundDoctor-patient continuity is popular with patients and practitioners, and is associated with better outcomes; however, changes in policy and practice organisation have diminished its scope. Although there has been some discussion of safety implications from professionals' perspective, patients' views remain largely unexplored.
aimTo explore patients' understanding of safety in primary care. DESIGN AND
settingAn interview-based study with patients from general practices in the northwest of England.
methodPatients were recruited from five general practices through patient participation groups and posters in waiting rooms, with further participants recruited through snowballing techniques until no new themes emerged. In-depth interviews were digitally recorded and transcribed. Anonymised transcripts were coded and analysed inductively. Emergent themes were discussed by the team.
resultsFor patients, relationship continuity was not simply a matter of service quality but an important safety concern that offered greater psychosocial security than consultations with unfamiliar GPs. Relationship continuity enabled the GP to become a repository of information; acquire specialist knowledge of a patient's condition; become familiar with the patient's consulting behaviour; provide holistic care; and foster the development of trust. Patients were also aware of the risks: a false sense of security and lack of a fresh perspective. Their desire for continuity varied with the nature of their concerns, psychological vulnerability, and perception of GPs' qualities and skills. No one supported a return to imposed continuity.
conclusionRelationship continuity and choice of GP were important safety strategies, neither of which is adequately supported by recent policy changes.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.