Studies were included that stated patient-reported wants concerning access to contemporary general practice in the UK.
How this fits in
Widely accepted, as perpetuated by the media, is that patients are unhappy with access to general practice and desire faster access to a GP. This review sought to summarise the research evidence about reported patient wants from access to general practice. Patients wanted to easily make an appointment in a timely fashion, to have a positive relationship with the practice, to see a specific clinician, and choose consultation modality according to individual circumstances. Communication and being kept informed about access throughout the process of making and having an appointment was something patients wanted, and this could be addressed by general practice.
Access to general practice was defined as being one or more of the following domains as reported in Simpson et al,16 chosen for the pragmatic nature of the categories that allowed grouping of the data rather than inferring interpretation:
A want was defined as a patient-stated desire for something (for example, for access to be convenient).
The date 2010, when there was a change in UK Government after 13 years, was chosen as the start date for the search to reflect political and managerial changes in the NHS after that time.