To explore whether patients’ desires for and expectations of medical care differ between the United States and Canada, we
surveyed 652 patients and 105 physicians at primary care sites in Michigan and Ontario. Patient desires were similar at both
sites, but expectations were higher in Michigan. Michigan physicians gave higher estimates of patient desire than physicians
in Ontario. Physicians at both sites, however, similarly underestimated patients’ desires. These between-site differences
in expectation may reflect differences both in general cultural factors and in patient exposure to different clinical policies
within the medical systems.
Key words comparative study - Ontario, Canada - patient desires - patient expectations - United States
Supported by the Research and Education Foundation of the American Medical Association and by the V.A. Center for Practice
Management and Outcomes Research. Dr. Katz is a Robert Wood Johnson Generalist Faculty Scholar.
The opinions herein are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation or the Department
of Veterans Affairs.