Continuity of care from a patient's point of view: context, process, relation.

BACKGROUND It is easy to forget about the real human experience when faced with the pressure of output measurement, organizational change, and large-scale statistical studies. This article takes a different perspective and provides a glimpse into one man's life to show the many relationships that can be involved when someone is ill. METHODS The information in this paper is based on interviews with multiple individuals involved in the care of one patient. The theoretical framework is narrative--it takes discourse as its material base--and introduces the concept of the "signifier" to organize the data. RESULTS The interview results demonstrate the theoretical strength of the signifier concept and reveal the process and context of the work of three particular physicians and the nature of the relations they were able to establish with this one patient and his son. CONCLUSIONS This way of conceptionalizing the process of care from the patient's point of view enables us to reflect on the changing nature of continuity of care as a core value for family physicians