What Primary Care Physicians Think of Israel's Health Policy Reform

Revital Gross, Hava Tabenkin, Shuli Brammli-Greenberg

JDC Brookdale Institute, Jerusalem, HaEmek Hospital, Afula; and Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheba

Opinions of the National Health Insurance (NHI) Law held by primary care physicians were surveyed. A questionnaire was submitted (April-July 1997) to 930 primary care physicians employed by sick funds, including general practitioners, family physicians, pediatricians and internists. Response rate was 86%.

They supported the main components of the NHI law. It was considered desirable "to a great" or "very great extent" to allocate funds to sick funds based on age and number of members (76%), to require them to accept all applicants (72%), to designate a uniform basket of services (65%), to allow members to transfer freely between funds (63%), and to allow sick funds to sell supplemental insurance (59%). However, only 41% were satisfied with the implementation of the law.

Multivariate analysis showed that employment by Maccabi, Meuhedet, or Leumit sick funds had an independent effect on low satisfaction with the law as implemented, and on negative opinions about the uniform basket of services, the accepting of all applicants, and allocation of funding based on age and number of members. Those employed by the Maccabi and Meuhedet funds were in favor of allowing sick funds to sell supplemental insurance.

The findings of the study have implications for policy-makers interested in increasing support for national health reform by physicians. It is important to examine possibilities of developing direct channels of communication between national policy-makers and physicians, as well as institutionalizing mechanisms that involve physicians directly in formulation of national policy.

ח' טבנקין¹, ד' שטיינמץ², פ' חמאייסי¹, ע' תמיר²

¹המח' לרפואת המשפחה, מרכז רפואי העמק ומחוז הצפון, קופ"ח כללית, שלוחת הצפון של המכון להתמחות החטיבה לבריאות הקהילה, הפקולטה למדעי הבריאות בנגב. ²המח' לאפידמיולוגיה ולבריאות בקהילה, ביה"ח כרמל, הפקולטה לרפואה, הטכניון – חיפה.

Physicians' Assessment of Computerized Prescribing

Daniela Zalman, Majed Odeh, Arie Oliven

Dept. of Internal Medicine B, Bnai Zion Medical Center, Technion Faculty of Medicine, Haifa

Prescription errors are a major source of preventable adverse drug events. Computerized prescribing (CP) which screens physicians' order for mistakes, drug-allergy, drug-disease, drug-laboratory and drug-drug interactions can prevent many of these errors and improve quality of care. However, computerized systems are often time-consuming, difficult to handle, and may create their own mistakes.

Following the introduction of CP on an internal medicine ward, we administered a questionnaire to evaluate physicians' opinions about the new system. The survey assessed computer literacy, ease of using CP, effects on time management, opinion of users regarding error prevention, and usefulness of the information provided. Opinions were generally favorable; most users felt that CP makes their work more accurate, reduces errors, is easy to learn and to use, and provides important and useful information. Physicians were most critical of equipment failure and drugs and dosages not included in the CP program, a result of rapid development of the system.

Errors resulting from the use of CP were considered minimal. Comparison of physicians, with and without previous experience with computer work, as well as local and foreign graduates, revealed minor differences. But once physicians learn to work with a well-organized CP system and computerized work stations, they appreciate the order, safety and knowledge they provide.

Employment of Immigrant Russian Physicians 

Nurit Nirel

JDC-Brookdale Institute of Gerontology and Human Development, Jerusalem

This study examined trends in the employment of immigrant physicians from the former Soviet Union. We studied the changes in the proportion of immigrants employed as physicians between 1994 and 1998, job characteristics, positions, professional status, and improvement in employment characteristics, professional status, and in wages due to increased seniority.

The study population consisted of 7,000 physicians who had immigrated to Israel by June 1992 and had applied to the Ministry of Health for medical licensing. Of these, 726 were interviewed in 1994 and in 1998 all 726 were again approached and 84% were interviewed by telephone.

Of those interviewed in 1998, 63% were working as physicians, 21% in another occupation, and 16% were not working at all. Of those with medical licenses, 79% were working as physicians. Of those interviewed in 1994, 93% were still employed as physicians in 1998, and 88% of them had been so employed continuously. As of 1998, 85% of those interviewed had 5 or more years seniority as physicians in Israel, and half had been working for more than 5 years at their current place of employment.

The best predictor-variable for employment as a physician in 1998 was employment as a physician in 1994. The proportions of those employed by a public employer, of those earning monthly salaries, and of those with a tenured position, were greater in 1998 than in 1994.

In 1998, 70% reported being employed in a authorized staff position. Funding for the salaries of 75% of these physicians came from the budget of their place of employment, not from a grant, stipend, or temporary fund for the assistance of immigrants. These proportions increased with seniority. The proportions of specialists (22%) and residents (37%) had increased in 1998 relative to 1994 (when they were 8% and 23% respectively). In addition, since 1994 gross hourly wages had increased with seniority in real terms by more than 100%.

These findings are evidence of work stability and improvement in employment conditions of these immigrant physicians. Further, the 1998 follow-up indicated a trend toward becoming "established" and improvement in professional status. However, it also revealed models of temporary employment, not in compliance with physicians' collective work agreements, a situation that warrants examination. It is also important to examine the implications of the absorption of so many physicians for medical manpower in Israel, and for overall expenditure on health.

Model Internet Course for Physicians 

Arthur Leibovitz, Silvia Balan, Beni Habot

Geriatric Medical Center, Shmuel Harofeh Hospital, Be'er Ya'akov,  (Affiliated with Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University)

The Internet is efficient in coping with the ever-increasing volume of medical knowledge. This and other functions have lead to its integration into daily medical practice. It is therefore imperative to disseminate its use among physicians, as some, unfamiliar with the personal computer (PC), may be reluctant to learn to use it. We therefore developed a course for training physicians in the basics of Internet use, consisting of 6 sessions of 2 hours each. It includes training in PC operation as well as in the main Internet functions. The topics are medicine-oriented, including Medline search, general info search, exploring medical sites and reading medical journals on-line.

41 physicians (8 groups of 4-6 each) with various specialties attended, of whom 38 completed a feedback questionnaire 4 weeks later. 79% reported using the Internet either at home or at their working place. The function used mostly was Medline Search (68%). Although 83% had not been familiar with the PC before, 96% stated that the course was clear and understandable and 99% expressed satisfaction with the quality of the teaching. Based on these results we recommend this course as a model for teaching physicians the use of the Internet.
 

Knowledge and Practice of Primary Care Physicians Relating to Streptococcal Pharyngitis

S. Leshem, H. Tabenkin, E. Dan, A. Tamir

Family Medicine Dept., Emek Medical Center and Northern District of Kupat Holim; and Northern Branch of Specialization Institute, Faculty of Life Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheba

Knowledge and practice of primary care physicians as to diagnosis and treatment of group A, b-hemolytic streptococcal pharyngitis, and the degree to which they agreed with the medical literature and current clinical guidelines were examined. The study was conducted in a group of 195 general physicians, pediatricians, and family medicine specialists and residents. The data were collected using questionnaires which included personal information and questions relating to b-hemolytic streptococcal pharyngitis and were analyzed by chi-square and t-tests, and logistic regression, as appropriate. A new dependent variable, good clinical practice (GCP), was defined as the total number of correct answers to the questions in the questionnaire. 147 of the 195 eligible physicians returned completed questionnaires, a compliance rate of 76%.

96.6% cited pV as the drug of choice at a daily dosage of 1 g (43.7%) or 2 g (25.4%), for 10 days (90%). 133 physicians (90%) stated that the goal of penicillin therapy for beta-hemolytic streptococcal pharyngitis is to prevent late complications. 116 physicians (82%) cited rheumatic fever as a complication of group A beta-hemolytic streptococcal pharyngitis, preventable by appropriate antibiotic therapy. However, only 84 (59%) cited glomerulonephritis as a preventable complication.

When the knowledge and attitudes of the respondents was analyzed in terms of the new variable, GCP, a significant association (p<0.001) was found between physicians’ attitudes and variables such as where they had studied medicine, and work seniority. Those with less seniority and or medical graduates of the Americas demonstrated greater knowledge and better clinical judgment than their more senior colleagues and graduates of European and Asian medical schools. Most primary care physicians in northern Israel treat group A b-hemolytic streptococcal pharyngitis as recommended in the medical literature.

The level of medical studies in Israel and the Americas and the quality of training of residents in family medicine and pediatrics, have a positive influence on the degree of knowledge of as common a subject as b-hemolytic streptococcal pharyngitis. Emphasis should be placed on continuing medical education among primary care physicians, particularly veteran general physicians and those who studied in European or Asian medical schools.

Characteristics of Israeli Primary Health Care Physicians who Treat Depression

Jonathan Rabinowitz, Dina Feldman, Revital Gross, Wienka Boerma

Bar Ilan University, Ramat Gan; Israel Ministry of Health; JDC-Brookdale Institute, Jerusalem; and Netherlands Institute of Primary Health Care (NIVEL)

Primary health care physicians have a pivotal role in treating mental health problems. We determined the proportion of primary care physicians in Israel who treat depression and their characteristics. The study was based on a stratified national random sample of primary care physicians (n677, response rate 78%). From these physicians' reports 22% always treat depression, 36.6% usually, 28.6% sometimes, and 12.6% never. Based on a logistic regression model the physicians who always or usually treated depression were distinguished from the other physicians by their treating more medical conditions on their own, seeing themselves as having more first contact for psychosocial problems, having frequent contact with social workers and specializing in family medicine. Primary health care physicians play a major role in treating depression on their own. This raises new questions about how they treat depression themselves, and under what circumstances they treat or refer to a specialist.

Professional Assessment of Senior Immigrant Physicians

N. Notzer, M.I. Zibziner, J. Shemer, M. Ravid

Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University

Israel has absorbed many immigrant physicians and has utilized their skills without compromising local professional standards. In accordance with this policy a special law for the assessment of the licensing of senior immigrant physicians, mainly from the former Soviet Union, who had practiced medicine for at least 14 years was implemented in 1994.

Considering their considerable medical experience on the one hand and their lack of experience in speaking Hebrew or undergoing testing techniques, they were exempted from the written national licensing examination. Instead they were obliged to undergo a 6-month clinical observation period in a local hospital or clinic.

At the end of this period a letter of confirmation was issued which was followed by an oral assessment of their clinical ability. In the assessment session, each candidate was presented with written presentations of 4 typical clinical cases which practitioners encounter on a daily basis, in family medicine, emergency medicine, surgery, and pediatrics or gerontology. Of 114 cases prepared, 4 were selected for each candidate by the committee of 13 trained, experienced Israeli physicians.

3 members of the committee assessed each candidate using specified criteria. The assessment, which lasted about an hour, focused on the candidates' professional knowledge involved in differential diagnosis and case management.

Of 497 candidates examined between 1994 and 1996, approximately 80% passed in their first attempt. However, about 30% of the invited candidates did not appear for the exam. Characteristics of successful candidates were being young and being among the seniors with the least clinical experience. Most had specialized in internal medicine and had completed their observation period in a non-academic hospital. There they had received somewhat more attention than those who had been in academic hospitals. Significantly, the successful candidates were more proficient in Hebrew than the unsuccessful candidates, and reported no special problems during the observation period.

Primary Care Physicians in Israel Compared with European Countries

P. Shvartzman, R. Gross, H. Tabenkin, D. Yuval, M. Grinshtein, B. Wienka

Dept. of Family Medicine, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheba;

Brookdale Institute, Jerusalem; and Nivel Institute, Maastricht, the Netherlands

This study compares Israeli primary care physicians with those of European countries. In Israel a larger proportion of those in primary care are women. The Israeli physicians see many patients a day, but almost never make home visits. They also report for work the fewest hours a day, but spend 21 hours a month in continuous medical education. (more than Europeans?) The Israeli primary care physician scores high in screening for breast cancer and blood cholesterol level, but very low in the fields of minor surgery and alcohol and smoking prevention, contraception, nutrition counseling and normal pregnancy follow-up. Residency training and education may be inadequate, and more emphasis has to be put on the health system and recognizing environmental influences.

Fear of Personal Death among Hospital Physicians

Y. Hamama-Raz, Z. Solomon, A. Ohry

School of Social Work and Dept. of Neuro-Rehabilitation, Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer (Both affiliated with Tel Aviv University)

Many studies have tried to explain why professionals experience difficulty when dealing with, and in treating efficiently situations connected with death. We studied levels of personal fear among physicians in general hospitals and addressed 2 questions: Does exposure to death on professional and personal levels, affect the level of the fear of personal death which physicians experience? Is there a relationship between personality variables, represented by the repression-sensitization dimension, and level of fear of personal death? A sample of 233 physicians from 22 general hospitals who specialized in oncology, internal medicine, surgery, psychiatry or pediatrics was studied. Each answered 4 questionnaires with regard to demographic information, fear of personal death, level of repression-sensitization and exposure to the death of relatives and significant others. There were no differences in level of fear of personal death of physicians according to specialization, but those who had been exposed to death on the personal level, feared less their own death. With respect to the personality variable, tendency to sensitization, it was found that those who were sensitized exhibited a higher level of the fear of their own death compared to those who were repressive. Of the various demographic variables examined (sex, level of religiouobservance, age, number of children, health, professional experience) it was found that those: with many years of professional experience, who were relatively older, who were nonobservant religiously and who were in good health, had lower levels of personal fear of death; gender was not a factor.

ATLS Course in Emergency Medicine for Physicians?

Ron Ben-Abraham, Michael Stein, Yoram Kluger, Amir Blumenfeld, Avraham Rivkind, Joshua Shemer

Medical Corps, Israel Defense Forces; and Trauma Units of Sourasky Medical Center and Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, and of Hadassah Hospital, Jerusalem

Implementation of Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) skills among practicing physicians and its perceived utility in their civilian practices, as well as in their potential army combat assignments, was evaluated. 177 physicians in various subspecialties, who were graduates of ATLS training courses, answered a specially designed telephone questionnaire. An unexpectedly high percentage of physicians (47%) had used their ATLS training when called to treat trauma victims. 67% of physicians stressed the contribution of the ATLS course to enhancing their skills. We believe that a properly designed ATLS course for general practitioners would be very beneficial for trauma victims.