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Many doctors in industrialized nations believe that health care in their countries has deteriorated during the last five years, according to a recent survey.
No more than one-quarter of physicians in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States-the five nations covered in the study-believe that their ability to deliver effective health care has increased in the last five years, the survey found. Meanwhile, about half the doctors surveyed believe that health care actually has become worse, despite increased health care spending and medical advances.
The survey was conducted by Harris Interactive Inc., a research firm based in Rochester, N.Y. The survey was sponsored by the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston and The Commonwealth Fund, a New York-based non-profit organization focused on promoting health care quality.
About 400 general practitioners and 100 specialists-cardiologists, gastroenterologists and oncologists-were interviewed by Harris Interactive in each of the five countries during a three-month period last year. The survey covered countries that are heavily dependent on private health insurance as well as those with systems funded largely by the state.
More doctors in North America noted a decline in health care than in the other geographic areas, according to the survey results. In the United States, 56% of generalists and 60% of specialists believe health care standards have dropped, while in Canada the level of dissatisfaction was slightly greater, with 59% of generalists and 67% of specialists responding that their ability...