Table 2 Primary care health and system characteristics scores
From: Primary healthcare system and practice characteristics in Singapore
Item number | Characteristics | Description of characteristic | Final score |
|---|---|---|---|
Health care system characteristics | |||
1 | Type of system | Polyclinic locations are regulated by the government to provide sufficient care around Singapore | 1 |
2 | Financing | Partly tax based. A combination of government subsidies, an individual compulsory medical savings account, and a low cost insurance scheme | 1 |
3 | Type of practitioner | GPs in the country are mainly generalists focusing on family medicine, and not specialists in other disciplines. | 2 |
4 | Percentage who are specialists | 38.77% of doctors in Singapore are specialists [16], indicative of an orientation toward primary care | 1 |
5 | Primary care physicians earnings compared to specialists | Specialists earn more than primary care physicians | 0 |
6 | Cost sharing | A combination of government subsidies, an individual compulsory medical savings account, and a low cost insurance scheme | - |
7 | Patient Lists | There is no requirement to sign up with a personal GP. | 0 |
8 | Requirement for 24-hour coverage | No regulated requirement for 24 hour primary healthcare. Patients may visit 24 hr A&E (accident and emergency) departments when necessary. | 0 |
9 | Standard of family medicine academic departments | Family medicine in Singapore is given low priority. | 0 |
Practice characteristics | |||
10 | First contact | Patients may choose to be referred by a primary care physician or choose to go to a private specialist directly. | 0 |
11 | Longitudinality | Patients do not get to select their doctors when they visit a polyclinic, and there is no system to enroll patients (patient lists) for private general practitioners. | - |
12 | Comprehensiveness | Polyclinics and private group GPs have a comprehensive range of services and facilities. Community Health Centres provide off-site ancillary support services to GPs without full facilities. | 1 |
13 | Coordination | Poor coordination and information transfer between primary, secondary and tertiary levels of healthcare | - |
14 | Family-centeredness | Family members are informed of medical decisions in hospitals | 1 |
15 | Community orientation | Data from practitioners not analyzed or used to identify priorities of care for the community | 0 |