US adults want physicians managing their health care

(HealthDay)—U.S. adults prefer physicians to non-physicians for health care and would choose a physician to lead their medical team, according to the results of a survey commissioned by the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP).

A total of 1,320 U.S. adults aged 18 years or older were surveyed online about a series of health care topics, including who they most often see for health care, who they would prefer to see, and what characteristics they attribute to health care professionals.

According to the survey, with regard to health care, 72 percent of adults prefer physicians to non-physicians. Given a choice, 90 percent of U.S. adults would choose a physician to lead their medical team. Compared with non-physicians, adults see physicians and family physicians as more knowledgeable, experienced, trusted, and up-to-date on medical advances. When a medical question arises, 41 percent indicated that they would confer with their primary care physician, 24 percent a physician, 8 percent a specialist, 6 percent a nurse practitioner, and 3 percent a physician assistant.

"This survey puts a face—a family physician face—on the message that's being repeated nationwide that team-based care and primary care are critical to the successful transformation of health care delivery in this country," AAFP president Reid Blackwelder, M.D., said in a statement.