Introducing a Human Dimension to Thai Health Care: the Case for Family Practice : Thesis Submitted in Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Award of the Degree of Doctor in the Medical Sciences by Yongyuth Pongsupap

This thesis presents the rationale for the introduction of family medicine and describes the process through which small-scale experimental introduction eventually developed into a national policy. It focuses on the performance of doctors in the different ambulatory settings. Health care provider behavior is observed through simulated patients and patient satisfaction assessed through exit surveys. Several complementary studies with randomly chosen facilities and doctors in Bangkok as well as throughout provinces provide an empirical basis to build health policy upon.