OBJECTIVES The study aims to explore the determinants of patients’ overall perception of quality of an outpatient consultation in Hungary, with special focus on health status and aspects of patient-reported care experiences.

METHODS We conducted a cross-sectional online survey among a representative sample (n=1000) of Hungary’s adult population. A subsample of 732 respondents reported to have had an outpatient consultation in the past 12 months were involved. Perception of the overall quality of the consultation was measured on a 5-item scale (poor/fair/good/very good/excellent). Respondents’ characteristics, self-reported health (5-point scale), type of care provider (GP/specialist/allied health professional; public/private) were recorded, and patient-reported experience measures (PREMs) recommended by the OECD were applied. Ordinal logistic regression was used to explore associations between overall quality and PREMs, health measures and respondents’ characteristics.

RESULTS : The median rating for the quality of the consultation was 4 (average: 3.8; SD: 1.1). Respondents with fair or bad/very bad health were 26% and 20% less likely to rate the consultation as excellent, compared to those that have reported a very good health. Those who have reported positive care experiences with 1) the doctor spending enough time in consultation (25%), 2) involvement in decision making (23%), 3) opportunity to ask questions (21%), and 4) provide easy to understand explanations (17%) were more likely to rate the consultation as excellent. Waiting time at a doctor’s office was a significant predictor of poorer ratings (e.g., OR=0.4 for a waiting period between 30-60 minutes). Specialist consultation at a private facility was more likely to receive significantly higher ratings.

CONCLUSIONS Respondents’ self-reported health status and experiences of care were found to be important determinants of their perception of quality of a consultation in Hungary. Hence, future studies on patients’ assessment on quality of care should include these measures.