The main results indicate that health care centres all over the country are trusted and that most users are satisfied with the service. However, there are signs of improvement and trust and satisfaction have decreased in recent years. Many participants stated that what can be improved in the health care system is shorter waiting time and in general that access to a doctor’s interview can be improved whether it is in person, by phone or electronically.

Trust and satisfaction converge

Figure 1: Responses to the questions: How much or little trust do you have in the health care system in general? And: In general, how satisfied or dissatisfied are you with the health care service?

As can be seen in the following chart, health care centres are trusted by a significant amount of people. In the capital area, 63% of people trust health care services a great deal or very much and in the countryside this proportion is 60%. When asked about satisfaction with service, 66% indicate that they are very or rather satisfied with their health care services in the capital area and this proportion is 59% in the countryside.

Figure 2: Percentage of those who said they had very much or rather much trust in the health care system and those who were very satisfied or rather satisfied with the health care service in the last three surveys.

It is interesting to note that trust and satisfaction have decreased in recent years, which is a concern and needs to be clarified. Health care is a cornerstone of the health system and needs to be trusted and respond to the needs of users.

Good solutions for people’s problems

Figure 3: Responses to the questions: Did your business be handled well or poorly the last time you came to the health care center? And: How good or bad do you think the general attitude and conduct of the health care staff is?

When the way people were handled when they last visited their healthcare centers was examined, the majority of people were very or rather well handled (77% in the capital area and 73,5% in the countryside). Furthermore, there was a high level of overall satisfaction with the attitude of the staff (84,5 % in the capital area and 83% in the countryside). It is positive that the vast majority of people feel that their issues are handled well and meet a good attitude in the healthcare center.

Figure 4: Percentage of participants who said that their business was handled very well or rather well and those who thought the staff’s attitude was very good or rather good in the last three surveys.

However, it is worrying that the satisfaction of people with how they are handled has decreased and also the satisfaction of the staff has decreased slightly. These factors are however significantly better than trust and satisfaction with service. Therefore, the conclusion can be drawn that trust and satisfaction have decreased due to lack of access and long waits rather than due to the service people receive when they meet a doctor or other health care professionals in the health care.

Three out of four want shorter wait times

Figure 5: Answers to the question: What do you think is most important to improve in the health care system in general?

When asked what was most urgent to improve, the vast majority answered that waiting for appointments had to be shortened. In the capital area, 73% said that it was urgent to shorten the wait, and in the countryside, 65.5%. The items that respondents considered most urgent to improve were that it would be easier to get a doctor by phone, that electronic services would be increased, and that it would be easier to get a registration of a permanent GP. The answers indicate that people are concerned that they will not get a doctor’s appointment within an acceptable time – whether it is in person, by phone or electronically. In the countryside, more people mentioned that it was urgent to get a registration of a permanent doctor than in the capital area, and this is a sign of frequent changes in the population in the countryside. Doctors tend to stay supportive and health care clients, who need follow-up for a longer period of time, tend to see new doctors every visit.

Active prioritisation of urgent matters

It was interesting to look at the number of responses to the questionnaire.

In this image from the capital area, it can be seen that prioritization of matters is generally successful. Most people with very urgent matters get a time immediately, relatively urgent matters get a time the same day, relatively important matters get a time within two days and so on. It is however worrying that around 21% of those who both considered themselves to have a very urgent or relatively urgent matter seemed to have to wait at least more than a week for a time. In a similar image from the countryside, the same pattern can be seen, i.e. that prioritization of time is fine depending on the urgency of the matter, but where, like in the capital area, more emphasis needs to be placed on people with very urgent and relatively urgent matters being sure to get to them sooner.

About the survey

Maskína conducted the survey for Iceland Health between 17 October 2023 and 5 January 2024. A random sample was taken among those who had visited health care centres in Iceland between January and September 2023. In Reykjavík, 5,955 individuals participated in the survey, while in the countryside, 3,394. The survey was submitted in Icelandic, English and Polish.

The data from the survey can be viewed here:

• Health care - Rural areas

• Health care - Capital Region