Do rural consumers expect a prescription from their GP visit? Investigation of patients' expectations for a prescription and doctors' prescribing decisions in rural Australia.

OBJECTIVE: To assess patients' expectation for receiving a prescription and GPs' perceptions of patient expectation for a prescription.

DESIGN: Matched questionnaire study completed by patients and GPs.

SETTING: Seven general practices in rural Queensland, Australia.

SUBJECTS: The subjects were 481 patients consulting 17 GPs.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Patients' expectation for receiving a prescription and GPs' perceptions of patients' expectation.

RESULTS: Ideal expectation (hope) for a prescription was expressed by 57% (274/481) of patients. Sixty-six per cent (313/481) thought it was likely that the doctor would actually give them a prescription. Doctors accurately predicted hope or lack of hope for a prescription in 65% (314/481) of consultations, but were inaccurate in 19% (93/481). A prescription was written in 55% of consultations. No increase in patients' expectation, doctors' perceptions of expectation, or decision to prescribe were detected for patients living a greater distance from the doctors.

CONCLUSIONS: Rural patients demonstrated similar rates of hope for a prescription to those found in previous urban studies. Rural doctors seem to be similarly 'accurate' and 'inaccurate' in determining patients' expectations. Rates of prescribing were comparable to urban rates. Distance was not found to increase the level of patient expectation, affect the doctors' perception or to influence the decision to prescribe.