Out-of-hours demand for GP care and emergency services: patients' choices and referrals by general practitioners and ambulance services

Difficulties of Spanish Primary Health Care nurses to assist emergencies: A cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

The competence of a Primary Health Care nurse to handle emergency situations depends largely on prior acquisition of theoretical knowledge to make appropriate decisions, combined with the corresponding practical skills to carry out swift and effective interventions.

METHODS

Cross-sectional study conducted in through a survey auto-administered to a simple random sample of 269 nurses (n) with replacement of Asturias, Spain from the total nursing staff of 730 members (N) in Asturias.

RESULTS

In rural areas, the most frequently mentioned reasons were the lack of practical skills (18.9%) and the absence of adequate material (14.4 %). In the semi-urban area, the most common reasons were the lack of practical skills (13.2 %) and the lack of theoretical knowledge (10.3 %). Finally, in the urban area, the main reasons were the lack of practical skills (14.4 %) and the absence of adequate material (7.2 %). The differences were significant (p = 0.025).

CONCLUSIONS

Despite the requirement that they acquire the necessary theoretical and practical skills, not all PHC nurses perceive themselves to be sufficiently prepared. The degree of self-perceived acquisition of this knowledge and skills, which is so important and necessary, is heterogeneous, with clear differences according to the respective field of work.

Comparison of Outpatient Department-Referred and Self-Referred Patients in the Emergency Department

BACKGROUND

Patients present to emergency departments (EDs) from a variety of backgrounds, which may help inform decision making.

OBJECTIVE

This study investigated the clinical characteristics and outcomes of outpatient department (OPD)-referred patients and self-referred patients in the ED.

METHODS

We selected nontrauma ED adult patients from a tertiary teaching hospital in Taiwan between August 1, 2020, and October 31, 2020. The acuity levels were determined by dichotomizing the triage classification scores. After propensity score matching, we compared the hospitalization, mortality, and length of ED stay of OPD-referred and self-referred patients. We categorized the patients into "emergency" or "urgent" subgroups according to their triage information and then analyzed the effects of different severity levels. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05.

RESULTS

A total of 564 OPD-referred and 11,959 self-referred patients were included. After propensity score matching, the OPD-referred patients (n = 564), compared with self-referred patients (n = 564), had a higher admission rate (49.8% vs. 28.9%; p < 0.001; odds ratio [OR] 2.44). Among the emergency subgroup patients, there was no significant difference between OPD-referred patients (n = 131) and self-referred patients (n = 138) regarding the admission rate (p = 0.257) or the mortality rate (p = 0.253). Among the urgent subgroup patients, OPD-referred patients (n = 433), compared with self-referred patients (n = 426), had a significantly higher admission rate (46.0% vs. 20.2%; p < 0.001; OR 3.36), but not mortality rate (2.1% vs. 0.5%; p = 0.064). Regarding the length of ED stay, OPD-referred and self-referred patients had a significant difference only in the "urgent and discharged" subgroup (5.8 vs. 2.3 h; p < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

OPD-referred ED patients might have more severe and complex conditions and need comprehensive care management.

Salvianolic acid B attenuates inflammation and prevent pathologic fibrosis by inhibiting CD36-mediated activation of the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway in frozen shoulder

Frozen shoulder (FS) is characterized by pain and limited range of motion (ROM). Inflammation and fibrosis are accepted as main pathologic processes associated with the development of FS. However, the intrinsic mechanisms underlying pathologic fibrosis remain unclear. We aimed to elucidate the key molecules involved in pathologic fibrosis and explore new therapeutic targets for FS. Synovial fibroblasts isolated from patient biopsies were identified using immunofluorescence. Western blotting, RT-qPCR, cell adhesion tests, and would-healing assays were used to evaluate the fibrosis-related functions of synovial fibroblasts. Elevated cluster of differentiation 36 (CD36) expression was detected in FS using Western blotting and immunohistochemistry. Salvianolic acid b (SaB) inhibited CD36, blocking synovial fibroblast-induced inflammation and fibrosis. Our RNA-seq data showed that knocking down CD36 dramatically impaired the capacity of synovial fibroblasts for cell adhesion and that the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway may be crucial to the fibrotic process of FS. By up-regulating CD36 and inhibiting the phosphorylation of Akt, we demonstrated that CD36 promotes pathologic fibrosis by activating the PI3k-Akt pathway. Finally, rats treated with SaB had improved ROM and less collagen fiber deposition than the FS model group. Conclusion: SaB attenuates inflammation and inhibited the CD36-mediated activation of the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway to block pathologic fibrosis of FS in vitro and in vivo models.

Pre- and post-home visit behaviors after using after-hours house call (AHHC) medical services: a questionnaire-based survey in Tokyo, Japan

Background

After-hours house call (AHHC) medical services have been implemented in Japan to reduce ambulance use, as well as overcrowding at the emergency department (ED). Examining the pre-and post-home visit behaviors of those using AHHC medical services will provide insights into the usefulness of these services and help develop strategies to reduce ED visits and ambulance use further.

Methods

This questionnaire-based study used data from anonymized medical records and internet-based questionnaires completed by patients who used AHHC medical services in Tokyo, Japan, between January 1 and December 31, 2019. The questionnaire comprised two questions: (1) What action would the patient have taken in the absence of AHHC services and (2) what action was taken within 3 days following the use of the AHHC services. In addition, following home consultations, AHHC doctors classified the patient’s illness severity as mild (treatable with over-the-counter medications), moderate (requires hospital or clinic visit), or severe (requires ambulance transportation).

Results

Of the 15,787 patients who used AHHC medical services during the study period, 2128 completed the questionnaire (13.5% response rate). Individuals aged ≤15 years and 16–64 years were the most common users of AHHC services (≤15 years, 71.4%; 16–64 years, 26.8%). Before using the AHHC service, 46.4% of the total respondents reported that they would have visited an ED had AHHC services not been available (≤15 years, 47.8%; 16–64 years, 42.8%; ≥65 years, 43.6%). The proportion of patients originally planning to call an ambulance was higher among those in the older age groups (≤15 years, 1.1%; 16–64 years, 6.0%; ≥65 years, 20.5%). After using the AHHC services, most patients (68.1%) did not visit a hospital within 3 days; however, the proportion of patients who visited an ED and called an ambulance within 3 days increased with the severity of illness.

Conclusions

Increasing AHHC medical services awareness among older adults and patients assessed as having severe illnesses regularly availing of AHHC services may help reduce ED visits and ambulance use.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12873-021-00545-w.

Types of Primary Healthcare Emergencies in Muscat, Oman: A retrospective cross-sectional study of five primary care centres

Objectives

Emergencies can occur at any time and be life-threatening or cause permanent damage. Accordingly, the management of emergency cases is an integral part of primary healthcare (PHC). This study aimed to estimate the proportion and types of emergency cases presented to PHC centres in Muscat, Oman.

Methods

This retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted from March to August 2016 at five PHC centres in the Muscat Governorate. A total of 800 emergency cases (i.e. those labelled in the health information system as an accident and emergency) of Omani patients aged ≥5 years presented during this period. Every second case, based on arrival to the registration desk, was selected for analysis. Electronic medical records were reviewed to collect data regarding demographic features, presenting complaints, time and season of presentation, management provided and method of transportation if referred to tertiary care.

Results

The proportion of emergency cases was <2.5% (range: 1–2.5%). The most common type of emergency was musculoskeletal issues/trauma (34.3%) followed by gastroenterological (15.1%) and genitourinary (10.0%) emergencies. Most patients were either 21–39 or 5–12 years old (35.0% and 21.6%, respectively). The majority (59.6%) were treated directly at the health centre, while the remaining patients (40.4%) were referred to tertiary care. At referral, only 12.1% were transported by ambulance and the rest via private transport.

Conclusion

Musculoskeletal issues/trauma was the most common type of emergency seen at the selected PHC centres in Muscat. Further research is needed to determine whether PHC centres have the capability and resources necessary to appropriately manage emergency cases.

Sociodemographic Characteristics Associated with Contacts to Emergency Medical Services and Out-of-Hours Primary Care: An Observational Study of 2.3 Million Citizens

Background

Out-of-hours (OOH) health care services are often divided into emergency medical services (EMS) and OOH primary care (OOH-PC). EMS and many OOH-PC use telephone triage, yet the patient still makes the initial choice of contacting a service and which service. Sociodemographic characteristics are associated with help-seeking. Yet, differences in characteristics for EMS and OOH-PC patients have not been investigated in any large-scale cohort studies. Such knowledge may contribute to organizing OOH services to match patient needs. Thus, in this study we aimed to explore which sociodemographic patient characteristics were associated with utilizing OOH health care and to explore which sociodemographic characteristics were associated with EMS or OOH-PC contact.

Methods

A population-based observational cohort study of inhabitants in two regions (North Denmark Region and Capital Region of Copenhagen) with or without contact to OOH services during 2016 was conducted. Associations between sociodemographic characteristics and OOH contacts (and EMS versus OOH-PC contact) were evaluated by regression analyses.

Results

We identified 619,857 patients with OOH contact. Female sex (IRR=1.16 (95% CI: 1.16-1.17)), non-western ethnicity (IRR=1.02 (95% CI: 1.01-1.02)), living alone (IRR=1.08 (95% CI: 1.08-1.09)), age groups ≥81 years (IRR=2.00 (95% CI: 1.98-2.02)) and 0-18 years (IRR=1.66 (95% CI: 1.66-1.67)) and low income (IRR=1.41 (95% CI: 1.40-1.42)) were more likely to contact OOH health care compared to males, Danish ethnicity, citizens cohabitating, age 31-65 years and high income. Disability pensioners more often contacted OOH care (IRR=1.79 (95% CI: 1.77-1.81) compared to employees. Old age (≥81 years) (OR=3.21 (95% CI: 3.13-3.30)), receiving cash benefits (OR=2.45 (95% CI: 2.36-2.54)), low income (OR=1.76 (95% CI: 1.72-1.81)) and living alone (OR=1.40 (95% CI: 1.37-1.42)) were all associated with EMS contacts rather than OOH-PC contacts.

Conclusion

Several sociodemographic factors were associated with contacting a health care service outside office hours and with contacting EMS rather than OOH-PC. Old age, low income, low education and low socioeconomic status were of greatest importance.

Patient motives for contacting out-of-hours care in Denmark: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

Patients in need of acute health care do not always contact the most suitable health care service provider. Contacting out-of-hours primary care for an urgent problem may delay care, whereas contacting emergency medical services for a non-urgent problem could ultimately affect patient safety. More insight into patient motives for contacting a specific health care provider may help optimise patient flows. This study aims to explore patient motives for contacting out-of-hours primary care and the emergency medical services in Denmark.

METHODS

We conducted a cross-sectional observational study by sending a questionnaire to patients contacting out-of-hours primary care and emergency medical services, both of which can be directly contacted by patients, in two of five Danish regions in 2015. As we aimed to focus on the first access point, the emergency department was not included. The questionnaire included items on patient characteristics, health problem and 26 pre-defined motives. Descriptive analyses of patient characteristics and motives were conducted, stratified by the two health care service providers. Factors associated with contacting each of the two service providers were explored in a modified Poisson regression analysis, and adjusted risk ratios were calculated.

RESULTS

Three key motives for contacting the two service providers were identified: 'unpleasant symptoms', 'perceived need for prompt action' and 'perceived most suitable health care provider'. Other important motives were 'need arose outside office hours' and 'wanted to talk to a physician' (out-of-hours primary care) and 'expected need for ambulance' and 'worried' (emergency medical services). Higher probability of contacting the emergency medical services versus out-of-hours primary care was seen for most motives relating to own assessment and expectations, previous experience and knowledge, and own needs and wishes. Lower probability was seen for most motives relating to perceived barriers and benefits.

CONCLUSIONS

Patient motives for contacting the two health care service providers were partly overlapping. The study contributes with new knowledge on the complex decision-making process of patients in need of acute health care. This knowledge could help optimise existing health care services, such as patient safety and the service level, without increasing health care costs.

Acute care pathways for patients calling the out-of-hours services

BACKGROUND

In Western countries, patients with acute illness or injury out-of-hours (OOH) can call either emergency medical services (EMS) for emergencies or primary care services (OOH-PC) in less urgent situations. Callers initially choose which service to contact; whether this choice reflect the intended differences in urgency and severity is unknown. Hospital diagnoses and admission rates following an OOH service contact could elucidate this. We aimed to investigate and compare the prevalence of patient contacts, subsequent hospital contacts, and the age-related pattern of hospital diagnoses following an out-of-hours contact to EMS or OOH-PC services in Denmark.

METHODS

Population-based observational cohort study including patients from two Danish regions with contact to EMS or OOH-PC in 2016. Hospital contacts were defined as short (< 24 h) or admissions (≥24 h) on the date of OOH service contact. Both regions have EMS, whereas the North Denmark Region has a general practitioner cooperative (GPC) as OOH-PC service and the Capital Region of Copenhagen the Medical Helpline 1813 (MH-1813), together representing all Danish OOH service types. Calling an OOH service is mandatory prior to a hospital contact outside office hours.

RESULTS

OOH-PC handled 91% (1,107,297) of all contacts (1,219,963). Subsequent hospital contacts were most frequent for EMS contacts (46-54%) followed by MH-1813 (41%) and GPC contacts (9%). EMS had more admissions (52-56%) than OOH-PC. For both EMS and OOH-PC, short hospital contacts often concerned injuries (32-63%) and non-specific diagnoses (20-45%). The proportion of circulatory disease was almost twice as large following EMS (13-17%) compared to OOH-PC (7-9%) in admitted patients, whereas respiratory diseases (11-14%), injuries (15-22%) and non-specific symptoms (22-29%) were more equally distributed. Generally, admitted patients were older.

CONCLUSIONS

EMS contacts were fewer, but with a higher percentage of hospital contacts, admissions and prevalence of circulatory diseases compared to OOH-PC, perhaps indicating that patients more often contact EMS in case of severe disease. However, hospital diagnoses only elucidate severity of diseases to some extent, and other measures of severity could be considered in future studies. Moreover, the socio-demographic pattern of patients calling OOH needs exploration as this may play an important role in choice of entrance.

What do we know about demand, use and outcomes in primary care out-of-hours services? A systematic scoping review of international literature

OBJECTIVE

To synthesise international evidence for demand, use and outcomes of primary care out-of-hours health services (OOHS).

DESIGN

Systematic scoping review.

DATA SOURCES

CINAHL; Medline; PsyARTICLES; PsycINFO; SocINDEX; and Embase from 1995 to 2019.

STUDY SELECTION

English language studies in UK or similar international settings, focused on services in or directly impacting primary care.

RESULTS

105 studies included: 54% from mainland Europe/Republic of Ireland; 37% from UK. Most focused on general practitioner-led out-of-hours cooperatives. Evidence for increasing patient demand over time was weak due to data heterogeneity, infrequent reporting of population denominators and little adjustment for population sociodemographics. There was consistent evidence of higher OOHS use in the evening compared with overnight, at weekends and by certain groups (children aged <5, adults aged >65, women, those from socioeconomically deprived areas, with chronic diseases or mental health problems). Contact with OOHS was driven by problems perceived as urgent by patients. Respiratory, musculoskeletal, skin and abdominal symptoms were the most common reasons for contact in adults; fever and gastrointestinal symptoms were the most common in the under-5s. Frequent users of daytime services were also frequent OOHS users; difficulty accessing daytime services was also associated with OOHS use. There is some evidence to suggest that OOHS colocated in emergency departments (ED) can reduce demand in EDs.

CONCLUSIONS

Policy changes have impacted on OOHS over the past two decades. While there are generalisable lessons, a lack of comparable data makes it difficult to judge how demand has changed over time. Agreement on collection of OOHS data would allow robust comparisons within and across countries and across new models of care. Future developments in OOHS should also pay more attention to the relationship with daytime primary care and other services.

PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER

CRD42015029741.

Epidemiology of non-deferrable medical conditions in primary care in Italy

Non-deferrable medical conditions (NDMC) are clinical entities other than exacerbations of chronic diseases which are too frequently managed by emergency departments. The primary care setting would be indeed the ideal environment to proficiently treat them. Few studies have investigated the epidemiology of NDMC in primary care, especially in Italy. With the aim to better identify NDMC sufferers, we assessed the accuracy of the NDMC definition by means of four algorithms, featured by different specificities and sensitivities. Four algorithms, based on the hierarchical definition of NDMC, were developed to calculate the incidence rate of NDMC in 2014. Each was tested using a Cox univariate model adjusted for gender, comparing patients aged <45 years old with older patients. Algorithms 1 and 3 gave similar results (408.1 vs. 405.5 per 1,000 person-years); Algorithms 2 and 4 reported sensibly lower rates (84.7 and 84.0 per 1,000 person-years). Incidence rate of NDMC for female patients was higher than in males and for older age group (i.e. 75-84 age group) than younger patients, for both gender groups. Regarding the regression model, a higher risk of NDMC was estimated in patients aged 45 years or more and in females. This study allowed us to assess the incidence rate of NDMC in Italy which was unexpectedly higher among older patients. Given the crucial role of general practitioners (GPs) in the diagnosis and management of these conditions, as well as the healthcare system reforms imposed by the ongoing financial crisis, our findings may contribute to informing the capacity and strategic workload planning in group of GPs to improve service quality and profitably to reduce the excessive use of emergency departments.

Evolution over 11 years of the characteristics of walk-in patients at the emergency department of a university hospital in Brussels

Walk-in patients who do not require urgent treatment at an emergency department (ED) are a known and long-standing problem.

This study aims to investigate the characteristics of walk-in patients visiting the ED over time.

During four days in June 2012, all walk-in patients attending the ED of the University Hospital Brussels between 8 AM and 11 PM were recorded. A similar registration took place in the same ED in June 2001. Patients completed a questionnaire about their characteristics and the reason for the encounter. Data of both study periods were compared.

The mean age of the patients attending the ED was significantly lower in 2001 (40.9 years) than in 2012 (43.9 years) (p=0,02). In 2001, 81% of the participants had Belgian nationality, but in 2012 this proportion increased to 90% (p=0.008). In 2001 as well as in 2012, 21% of the participants had a referral from their family physician (FP) (p=0.9). The proportion of patients that were aware that FP could also handle some emergencies increased from 17% in 2001 to 29% in 2012 (p=0.003). More patients had complaints that begun less than 24h before they attended the ED (48% in 2001 and 58% in 2012) (p=0.03).

The walk-in patients at the ED are getting slightly older and are attending the ED faster after the onset of the complaints. More patients judge their complaints as urgent. However, more patients are getting aware that FP also could handle some emergencies.

Preschool children in Danish out-of-hours primary care: a one-year descriptive study of face-to-face consultations

BACKGROUND

The demand for out-of-hours (OOH) primary care has increased during the last decades, with a considerable amount of contacts for young children. This study aims to describe the reasons for encounter (RFE), the most common diagnoses, the provided care, and the parental satisfaction with the general practitioner (GP) led OOH service in a Danish population of children (0-5 years).

METHODS

We conducted a one-year cross-sectional study based on data for 2363 randomly selected contacts concerning children from a survey on OOH primary care including 21,457 patients in Denmark. For each contact, the GPs completed an electronic pop-up questionnaire in the patient's medical record. Questionnaire items focussed on RFE, health problem severity, diagnosis, provided care, and satisfaction. The parents subsequently received a postal questionnaire.

RESULTS

The most common RFE was non-specific complaints (40%), followed by respiratory tract symptoms (23%), skin symptoms (9%), and digestive organ symptoms (8%). The most common diagnosis group was respiratory tract diseases (41%), followed by general complaints (19%) and ear diseases (16%). Prescriptions were dispensed for 27% of contacts, and about ¾ were for antibiotics. A total of 12% contacts concerned acute otitis media; antibiotics were prescribed in 70%. A total of 38% of contacts concerned fever, and ¼ got antibiotics. A total of 7.4% were referred for further evaluation. The parental satisfaction was generally high, but 7.0% were dissatisfied. Dissatisfaction was correlated with low prescription rate.

CONCLUSION

Respiratory tract diseases were the most common diagnoses. The GPs at the OOH primary care service referred children to hospital in 7.4% of the face-to-face consultations, and the provided care was evaluated as non-satisfying by only 7.0% of the parents. Clinical implications of the findings mean room for less prescription of antibiotic to children with ear diseases and a need for research in factors related to dissatisfaction.

Effects of access to radiology in out-of-hours primary care in the Netherlands: a prospective observational study

BACKGROUND

In the Netherlands, out-of-hours primary care is provided in general-practitioner-cooperatives (GPCs). These are increasingly located on site with emergency departments (ED), forming Emergency-Care-Access-Points (ECAP). A more efficient and economical organization of out-of-hours primary emergency care could be realized by increased collaboration at an ECAP. In this study, we compared the effects of different models with respect to access to (hospital) radiology by the GPC. We investigated patient and care characteristics, indication for diagnostics and outcomes at GPCs with and without access to radiology.

METHODS

A prospective observational record review study of patients referred for conventional radiology for trauma by one of five GPCs in the period April 2014-October 2015, covering three organizational models.

RESULTS

The mean age was 31 years and 56% was female. Extremities were predominately involved (91%). There was a medical indication for radiology in 85% and the assessed risk by requesting GPs on abnormalities was high in 66%. There was a significant difference in outcomes between models. Radiological abnormalities (fractures/luxations) were present in 51% without direct access and in 35% with partial and unlimited access. Overall, 61% of the included patients were referred to the ED; 100% in the models without access and 38% in the models with (partial) access.

CONCLUSIONS

GPC access to radiology is beneficial for patients and professionals. The diagnostics were adequately used. With access to radiology, unnecessary referrals and specialist care are prevented. This may lead to a decrease in ED attendance and overcrowding.

Do employees benefit from collaborations between out of hours general practitioners and emergency departments?

BACKGROUND

In an attempt to redirect patients who are inappropriately attending hospital emergency departments (ED) and in doing so provide the right care at the right place, out-of-hours GP (General Practitioner) services and EDs increasingly collaborate in Urgent Care Collaborations (UCCs). Work satisfaction is an important factor in analysing the impact of this organisational change. The objective of this study is, firstly, to discover if there is a difference in the employee experiences between those working in UCCs and those in traditional out-of-hours services in which EDs and out-of-hours GP services operate separately (i.e. "usual care"). Secondly, we would like to identify which factors affect employees' experiences in these settings.

METHODS

This study followed a cross-sectional study design, comparing usual care with UCCs. Data regarding employee experiences were collected from physicians, nurses, nurse practitioners, medical assistants and front desk personnel, by means of a questionnaire with scales regarding quality, workload and co-operation between the out-of-hours GP service and ED. Independent samples t-tests were used to determine mean differences between the settings. Multiple linear regression analyses were performed to test which items affected the perceived quality, workload and co-operation.

RESULTS

The results showed that mutual co-operation alone was perceived as significantly better in UCCs compared to usual care. If divided between employers, no differences were found in the employee experiences working in out-of-hours GP services. ED employees in UCCs experienced a significantly better co-operation with their GP colleagues than their peers in the usual care setting, but also a higher workload. Remarkably, ED employees were less satisfied in general. The multiple regression model showed that perceived quality, workload and co-operation were interrelated. Co-operation was the only aspect that was rated higher in the UCC setting.

CONCLUSION

While perceived quality is equal and co-operation between out-of-hours GP service and ED is better, the objective and perceived ED workload was higher in UCCs compared to usual care. Though UCCs relieve the pressure on EDs concerning the number of patients, they seem to aggravate the workload. EDs need to be careful not to excessively adjust staff capacity when responding to lower numbers of patients.

Does X-ray imaging by GPC at emergency care access points in the Netherlands change patient flow and reduce ED crowding? A cohort study

OBJECTIVE

Organizing out-of-hours emergency care is a challenge in many countries. In the Netherlands, general practitioner cooperatives (GPCs) and emergency departments (EDs) are increasingly working together, creating one emergency care access point (ECAP). This has redirected the majority of patients with musculoskeletal problems from the ED to the GPC in out-of-hours care, due to the treatment of self-referrals by the general practitioner (GP). Only a minority of the GPs at ECAPs have the possibility to request X-rays, and expanding these facilities could reduce patient presentations to the ED even more. The aim of our study was to explore patient flow and possible reductions in ED referrals at an ECAP with X-ray facilities for GPs.

METHODS

This retrospective cohort study examines all patients that visited an ECAP at a general city hospital in the Netherlands and had an X-ray imaging requested by the GPC between January 1, 2014 and December 31, 2014. General practitioner cooperatives could request X-rays between 5 pm and 10 pm on weekdays and between 8 am and 10 pm during weekends. Recorded data included sex, age, number and type of X-ray, X-ray abnormalities, referral to the ED, and treatment. The annual number of patients presenting to the GPC and ED in 2014 were gathered. Patient outcome was stated negative when the X-ray revealed no abnormality.

RESULTS

A total of 2243 patients received 2663 X-ray examinations. The mean age was 31 years and 48% was male. A total of 1517 (68%) patients were treated at the GPC without an ED referral, a reduction of 4.5% of the annual ED patients.

CONCLUSIONS

With a majority (68%) of the patients examined and treated at the GPC, X-ray facilities at ECAPs will substantially reduce ED population, change patient flow, and have a positive effect on ED crowding. Implementing 24/7 X-ray facilities at all ECAPs will further enhance these effects.

Why Do People Choose Emergency and Urgent Care Services? A Rapid Review Utilizing a Systematic Literature Search and Narrative Synthesis

OBJECTIVES

Rising demand for emergency and urgent care services is well documented, as are the consequences, for example, emergency department (ED) crowding, increased costs, pressure on services, and waiting times. Multiple factors have been suggested to explain why demand is increasing, including an aging population, rising number of people with multiple chronic conditions, and behavioral changes relating to how people choose to access health services. The aim of this systematic mapping review was to bring together published research from urgent and emergency care settings to identify drivers that underpin patient decisions to access urgent and emergency care.

METHODS

Systematic searches were conducted across Medline (via Ovid SP), EMBASE (via Ovid), The Cochrane Library (via Wiley Online Library), Web of Science (via the Web of Knowledge), and the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL; via EBSCOhost). Peer-reviewed studies written in English that reported reasons for accessing or choosing emergency or urgent care services and were published between 1995 and 2016 were included. Data were extracted and reasons for choosing emergency and urgent care were identified and mapped. Thematic analysis was used to identify themes and findings were reported qualitatively using framework-based narrative synthesis.

RESULTS

Thirty-eight studies were identified that met the inclusion criteria. Most studies were set in the United Kingdom (39.4%) or the United States (34.2%) and reported results relating to ED (68.4%). Thirty-nine percent of studies utilized qualitative or mixed research designs. Our thematic analysis identified six broad themes that summarized reasons why patients chose to access ED or urgent care. These were access to and confidence in primary care; perceived urgency, anxiety, and the value of reassurance from emergency-based services; views of family, friends, or healthcare professionals; convenience (location, not having to make appointment, and opening hours); individual patient factors (e.g., cost); and perceived need for emergency medical services or hospital care, treatment, or investigations.

CONCLUSIONS

We identified six distinct reasons explaining why patients choose to access emergency and urgent care services: limited access to or confidence in primary care; patient perceived urgency; convenience; views of family, friends, or other health professionals; and a belief that their condition required the resources and facilities offered by a particular healthcare provider. There is a need to examine demand from a whole system perspective to gain better understanding of demand for different parts of the emergency and urgent care system and the characteristics of patients within each sector.

Patient-reported impact of after-hours house-call services on the utilization of emergency department services in Australia

OBJECTIVES

This paper explores, from the patients' perspective, the likely impact of the Australian after-hours house-call (AHHC) medical services on emergency department (ED) presentations. This has become imperative given the significant cost difference between patient presentations to either the AHHC or ED and their practical implications for health care funding.

DESIGN, SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS

A cross-sectional, self-reported survey of all 10 838 patients in Australia known to have patronized AHHC services over the last week of January 2016.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE

The study used a validated, self-completion questionnaire, dispatched through a mixture of online and postal methods.

RESULTS

A total of 1228 questionnaires were returned, of which 1211 included all relevant sections of the survey (11.2% response rate). Four hundred and eighty-six patients (40.1%) indicated that they would have gone to the ED on the same day or night of their illness had the AHHC not been available, with the elderly (≥65) and children (<16) accounting for nearly two-thirds of these (64.6%). Following their AHHC consultations, 103 (8.5%) patients eventually attended the ED, meaning that the service prevented 383 patients from attending the ED, a decrease of 78.8%. Stratification based on location showed that this impact was seen across all states and territories in Australia where AHHC services exist, ranging from a reduction of 73.9% in Western Australia to 85.0% in Tasmania. Similarly, the impact cuts across all patient demographics, including age ranges, gender and social divides.

CONCLUSIONS

Based on our respondents' reports, AHHC services appear to be associated with a reduction in ED visits in Australia, with the impact cutting across all regions and patient demographics.

Patient and care characteristics of self-referrals treated by the general practitioner cooperative at emergency-care-access-points in the Netherlands

Background

In the Netherlands, out-of-hours primary care is provided in general practitioner-cooperatives (GPCs). These are increasingly located on site and in collaboration with emergency departments of hospitals (ED). At such sites, also called emergency-care-access-points (ECAP), the GPC is generally responsible for the triage and treatment of self-referrals who used to attend the ED. To evaluate the effects and safety of this novel organisation, we studied the characteristics and the quality of care given by GPCs to self-referrals at ECAPs.

Methods

Retrospective analysis (August 2011–January 2012) of 783 records of self-referred patients at three Dutch GPCs in an ECAP. This was supplemented with a retrospective analysis of patient records during a follow-up period of three-months to asses safety.

Results

Patient-characteristics: 59% was male, 46% aged between 16–45 years and 59% trauma-related. Most cases (95%) were triaged low-urgent. None received the highest urgency-category. Quality: The triage outcome was correct in 79%, underestimated in 12% and overestimated in 9%. After GP consultation 20% were referred to the ED, mostly for radio-diagnostics. Of the referrals to secondary care, 98% were according to common medical practice. Thirty percent had a follow-up contact, mostly with their own general practitioner, seldom with the ED. Complications, all non-severe, were registered in 3.2%; 0.4% were possibly preventable.

Conclusions

Self-referred patients at an ECAP are mostly trauma related, low-urgent and male patients. The majority could be treated by the GPC without subsequent referral to the ED. Care given at the GPC is reasonably efficient and safe. Triage and treatment of self-referrals by the GPC at ECAPs might offer opportunities for other countries facing problems with inappropriate emergency department visits.

Medical appropriateness of adult calls to Danish out-of-hours primary care: a questionnaire-based survey

Background

Optimal utilisation of the out-of-hours primary care (OOH-PC) services remains a concern in public health policy. We need more knowledge on potentially avoidable contacts. This study examines the frequency of medically assessed inappropriate OOH-PC calls from adults, explores factors associated with such assessment, and examines the relation to patient-assessed severity of health problem and fulfilment of expectations.

Methods

We performed secondary analyses of data from a large cross-sectional survey on contacts to Danish OOH-PC. As access to Danish OOH-PC is provided through telephone triage delivered by a general practitioner (GP), we included only telephone contacts. A contact was characterised as medically inappropriate when the triage GP assessed that the request from a medical perspective should have been directed to daytime primary care. Appropriateness was examined in relation to patient characteristics, reason for encounter, time of contact, and whether the contact was triaged to a face-to-face consultation, and in relation to patient-assessed severity of the health problem and fulfilment of expectations. Associations were estimated with odds ratios (ORs) using multivariate analysis.

Results

Of all contacts, 23.7% were assessed as medically inappropriate. Such assessment was associated with: younger age, longer symptom duration, exacerbation of chronic condition, and contact only few hours away from own GP’s office hours. Of medically inappropriate contacts, 31.3% were from patients aged 18–30 years, 41.5% concerned symptoms of > 24 h, 19.4% concerned exacerbation of chronic condition, and 21.3% were calls < 3 h away from own GP’s regular office hours. Medicine request was the most frequent reason for an inappropriate contact (14.3% of medically inappropriate contacts). In 53.4% of contacts assessed as inappropriate, the health problem was considered as severe by patients and medical assessed inappropriateness was significantly associated with unfulfilled patient expectations.

Conclusions

One in four OOH-PC calls was considered medically inappropriate. Future efforts to reduce suboptimal use of OOH-PC should focus on the types of contacts with the highest optimisation potential, e.g., medication requests, long-lasting symptoms, and exacerbations. Such interventions should aim at bridging the gap between the GP’s medical assessment and the patient’s expectations to appropriate OOH-PC use.

Does the extension of primary care practice opening hours reduce the use of emergency services?

Overcrowding in emergency departments generates potential inefficiencies. Using regional administrative data, we investigate the impact that an increase in the accessibility of primary care has on emergency visits in Italy. We consider two measures of avoidable emergency visits recorded at list level for each General Practitioner. We test whether extending practices' opening hours to up to 12 hours/day reduces the inappropriate utilization of emergency services. Since subscribing to the extension program is voluntary, we account for the potential endogeneity of participation in a count model for emergency admissions in two ways: first, we use a two-stage residual inclusion approach. Then we exploit panel methods on data covering a three-year period, thus accounting directly for individual heterogeneity. Our results show that increasing primary care accessibility acts as a restraint on the inappropriate use of emergency departments. The estimated effect is in the range of a 10-15% reduction in inappropriate admissions.

Translation of clinical prediction rules for febrile children to primary care practice: an observational cohort study

BACKGROUND

Clinical prediction rules (CPRs) to identify children with serious infections lack validation in low-prevalence populations, which hampers their implementation in primary care practice.

AIM

To evaluate the diagnostic value of published CPRs for febrile children in primary care.

DESIGN AND SETTING

Observational cohort study among febrile children (<16 years) who consulted five GP cooperatives (GPCs) in the Netherlands.

METHOD

Alarm signs of serious infection and clinical management were extracted from routine clinical practice data and manually recoded with a structured electronic data-entry program. Eight CPRs were selected from literature. CPR-variables were matched with alarm signs and CPRs were applied to the GPC-population. 'Referral to emergency department (ED)' was used as a proxy outcome measure for 'serious infection'. CPR performance was assessed by calibration analyses, sensitivity, specificity, and area under the ROC-curve (ROC-area).

RESULTS

A total of 9794 GPC-contacts were eligible, 54% male, median age 2.3 years (interquartile range 1.0-4.6 years) and 8.1% referred to ED. Frequencies of CPR-variables varied from 0.5% (cyanosis, drowsy) to 25% (temperature ≥40°C). Alarm signs frequently included in CPRs were 'ill appearance', 'inconsolable', and 'abnormal circulatory or respiratory signs'. The height of the CPR's predicted risks generally corresponded with being (or not being) referred to the ED in practice. However, calibration-slopes indicated that three CPRs underestimated the risk of serious infection in the GPC-population. Sensitivities ranged from 42% to 54%, specificities from 68% to 89%. ROC-areas ranged from 0.52 to 0.81, with best performance of CPRs for children aged <3 months.

CONCLUSION

Published CPRs performed moderately well in the primary out-of-hours care population. Advice is given on how to improve translation of CPRs to primary care practice.

General practitioners' experiences with out-of-hours cardiorespiratory consultations: a qualitative study

OBJECTIVES

To explore general practitioners' (GPs') experiences with and views on the diagnosis and management of patients with cardiorespiratory symptoms during GP out-of-hours care. We also aimed to identify ways of (diagnostic) support during these consultations.

DESIGN

Qualitative study; face-to-face semistructured interviews.

SETTING

GP out-of-hours care in the Netherlands.

PARTICIPANTS

15 GPs in the province of Limburg, the Netherlands.

RESULTS

Overall, GPs find cardiorespiratory consultations challenging and difficult. Tension and uncertainty as well as defensive behaviour were the key themes that characterised GPs' experiences. We identified several subthemes underlying the key themes: setting, potentially severe consequences, absence of a pre-existing relationship and little knowledge of the patient's background, difficulties differentiating between possible causes of symptoms, changed public opinion and patient population, and previous experiences. GPs approach cardiorespiratory consultations differently and their threshold for referring patients and performing diagnostic tests is lower. We identified differing views on the use of additional diagnostic tests at GP out-of-hours services.

CONCLUSIONS

This study sheds further light on how GPs experience cardiorespiratory consultations during out-of-hours care and how this leads to a high number of cardiorespiratory referrals. GPs relate cardiorespiratory consultation during out-of-hours care with tension and uncertainty leading to defensive behaviour, which can be translated into a different approach towards cardiorespiratory consultations and a lower threshold for referring patients and performing diagnostic tests. Opinions on the possible added value of additional diagnostics in reducing the number of referrals should be further investigated, as we identified differing views on the use of additional diagnostic tests at GP out-of-hours services.

Barriers Facing Primary Health Care Physicians When Dealing with Emergency Cases in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

OBJECTIVES

To estimate the prevalence of emergency cases reporting to Primary Health Care centers (PHC), Jeddah, Saudi Arabia and to explore the barriers facing PHC physicians when dealing with such emergency cases.

METHODS

A cross-sectional analytic study, where all physicians working in the PHC of the Ministry of Health (MOH) in Jeddah; were invited to participate (n=247). The study period was from July 2013 till December 2013. Data were collected through two sources. 1- A self-administered questionnaire used to determine the physicians' perceived competence when dealing with emergency cases. 2- A structured observation sheet used to evaluate availability of equipment, drugs, ambulances and other supporting facilities required to deal with emergency cases.

RESULTS

The response rate was 83.4%. The physicians' age ranged between 25 and 60 years with a mean ±SD of 34.4±7.5 years. Majority of them (83.5%) did not attend ATLS courses at all whereas 60.7% never attended ACLS courses. The majority (97.1%) had however attended BLS courses. Physicians in the age group 36-45 years, non-Saudi, those who had SBFM, those who reported experience in working in emergency departments and physicians who reported more working years in PHCCs (>5 years) had a significant higher score of perceived level of competence in performing emergency skill scale than others (P<0.05). The prevalence of emergency cases attending PHC in Jeddah (2013) was 5.2%.

CONCLUSION

Emergency services at PHC in Jeddah are functioning reasonably well, but require fine tuning of services and an upgrade in their quality.

Impact of a well-developed primary care system on the length of stay in emergency departments in the Netherlands: a multicenter study

Background

The Netherlands has a well-developed primary care system, which increasingly collaborates with hospital emergency departments (EDs). In this setting, insight into crowding in EDs is limited. This study explored links between patients’ ED Length of Stay (LOS) and their care pathways.

Methods

Observational multicenter study of 7000 ED patient records from 1 February 2013. Seven EDs spread over the Netherlands, representing overall Dutch EDs, were included. This included three EDs with and four EDs without an integrated primary-care-physician (PCP) cooperative, forming one Emergency Care Access Point (ECAP). The main outcome was LOS of patients comparing different care pathways (origin and destination of ED attenders).

Results

The median LOS of ED attenders was 130.0 min (IQR 79.0–140.0), which increased with patients’ age. Random coefficient regression analysis showed that LOS for patients referred by medical professionals was 32.9 min longer compared to self-referred patients (95 % CI 27.7–38.2 min). LOS for patients admitted to hospital was 41.2 min longer compared to patients followed-up at the outpatient clinic (95 % CI 35.3–46.6 min), 49.9 min longer compared to patients followed-up at the PCP (95 % CI 41.5–58.3 min) and 44.6 min longer compared to patients who did not receive follow-up (95 % CI 38.3–51.0 min). There was no difference in LOS between hospitals with or without an ECAP.

Conclusions

With 130 min, the median LOS in Dutch EDs is relatively short, comparing to other Western countries, which ranges from 176 to 480 min. Although integration of EDs with out-of-hours primary care was not related to LOS, the strong primary care system probably contributed to the overall short LOS of ED patients in the Netherlands.

Appropriateness, Reasons and Independent Predictors of Consultations in the Emergency Department (ED) of a Dutch Tertiary Care Center: A Prospective Cohort Study

OBJECTIVE

Consultations occur frequently in the emergency department (ED) of tertiary care centres and pose a threat for patient safety as they contribute to ED lengths of stay (LOS) and overcrowding. The aim of this study was to investigate reasons and appropriateness of consultations, and the relative impact of specialty and patient characteristics on the probability of a consultation, because this could help to improve efficiency of ED patient care.

METHODS

This prospective cohort study included ED patients presenting to a Dutch tertiary care centre in a setting where ED physicians mostly treat self-referred and undifferentiated patients and other specialists treat referred patients. Consultations were defined as appropriate if the reason of consultation corresponded with the final advice, conclusion or policy of the consulted specialty. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to assess the relative contribution of specialty and patient characteristics on consultation.

RESULTS

In the 344 (24% (95% CI 22 to 26%)) of the 1434 inclusions another specialty was consulted, resulting in a 55% increase of ED LOS. ED physicians more often consulted another specialty with a corrected odds ratio (OR) of 5.6 (4.0 to 7.8), mostly because consultations were mandatory in case of hospitalization or outpatient follow-up. Limited expertise of ED physicians was the reason for consultation in 7% (5 to 9%). The appropriateness of consultations was 84% (81 to 88%), similar between ED physicians and other specialists (P = 0.949). The patient characteristics age, comorbidity, and triage category and complaint predicted consultation.

CONCLUSION

In a Dutch tertiary care centre another specialty was consulted in 24% of the patients, mostly for an appropriate reason, and rarely because of lack of expertise. The impact of consultations on ED LOS could be reduced if mandatory consultations are abolished and predictors of a consultation are used to facilitate timely consultation.

What evidence is there on the effectiveness of different models of delivering urgent care? A rapid review

Background

In 2013 NHS England set out its strategy for the development of an emergency and urgent care system that is more responsive to patients’ needs, improves outcomes and delivers clinically excellent and safe care. Knowledge about the current evidence base on models for provision of safe and effective urgent care, and the gaps in evidence that need to be addressed, can support this process.

Objective

The purpose of the evidence synthesis is to assess the nature and quality of the existing evidence base on delivery of emergency and urgent care services and identify gaps that require further primary research or evidence synthesis.

Data sources

MEDLINE, EMBASE, The Cochrane Library, the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) and the Web of Science.

Methods

We have conducted a rapid, framework-based, evidence synthesis approach. Five separate reviews linked to themes in the NHS England review were conducted. One general and five theme-specific database searches were conducted for the years 1995–2014. Relevant systematic reviews and additional primary research papers were included and narrative assessment of evidence quality was conducted for each review.

Results

The review was completed in 6 months. In total, 45 systematic reviews and 102 primary research studies have been included across all five reviews. The key findings for each review are as follows: (1) demand – there is little empirical evidence to explain increases in demand for urgent care; (2) telephone triage – overall, these services provide appropriate and safe decision-making with high patient satisfaction, but the required clinical skill mix and effectiveness in a system is unclear; (3) extended paramedic roles have been implemented in various health settings and appear to be successful at reducing the number of transports to hospital, making safe decisions about the need for transport and delivering acceptable, cost-effective care out of hospital; (4) emergency department (ED) – the evidence on co-location of general practitioner services with EDs indicates that there is potential to improve care. The attempt to summarise the evidence about wider ED operations proved to be too complex and further focused reviews are needed; and (5) there is no empirical evidence to support the design and development of urgent care networks.

Limitations

Although there is a large body of evidence on relevant interventions, much of it is weak, with only very small numbers of randomised controlled trials identified. Evidence is dominated by single-site studies, many of which were uncontrolled.

Conclusions

The evidence gaps of most relevance to the delivery of services are (1) a requirement for more detailed understanding and mapping of the characteristics of demand to inform service planning; (2) assessment of the current state of urgent care network development and evaluation of the effectiveness of different models; and (3) expanding the current evidence base on existing interventions that are viewed as central to delivery of the NHS England plan by assessing the implications of increasing interventions at scale and measuring costs and system impact. It would be prudent to develop a national picture of existing pilot projects or interventions in development to support decisions about research commissioning.

Funding

The National Institute for Health Research Health Services and Delivery Research Programme.

Contacts with out-of-hours primary care for nonurgent problems: patients' beliefs or deficiencies in healthcare?

Background

In the Netherlands, about half of the patient contacts with a general practitioner (GP) cooperative are nonurgent from a medical perspective. A part of these problems can wait until office hours or can be managed by the patient himself without further professional care. However, from the patient’s perspective, there may be a need to contact a physician immediately. Our objective was to determine whether contacts with out-of-hours primary care made by patients with nonurgent problems are the result of patients’ beliefs or of deficiencies in the healthcare system.

Methods

We performed a survey among 2000 patients with nonurgent health problems in four GP cooperatives in the Netherlands. Two GPs independently judged the medical necessity of the contacts of all patients in this study. We examined characteristics, views and motives of patients with medically necessary contacts and those without medically necessary contacts. Descriptive statistics were used to describe the characteristics, views and reasons of the patients with medically unnecessary contacts and medically necessary contacts. Differences between these groups were tested with chi-square tests.

Results

The response rate was 32.3 % (N = 646). Of the nonurgent contacts 30.4 % were judged as medically necessary (95 % CI 27.0-34.2). Compared to patients with nonurgent but medically necessary contacts, patients with medically unnecessary contacts were younger and were more often frequent attenders. They had longer-existing problems, lower self-assessed urgency, and more often believed GP cooperatives are intended for all help requests. Worry was the most frequently mentioned motive for contacting a GP cooperative for patients with a medically unnecessary contact (45.3 %) and a perceived need to see a GP for patients with a medically necessary contact (44.2 %). Perceived availability (5.8 %) and accessibility (8.3 %) of a patient’s own GP played a role for some patients.

Conclusion

Motives for contacting a GP cooperative are mostly patient-related, but also deficiencies in access to general practice may partly explain medically unnecessary use. Efforts to change the use of GP cooperatives should focus on education of subgroups with an increased likelihood of contact for medically unnecessary problems. Improvement of access to daytime primary care may also decrease use of the GP cooperative.

Complaints and Diagnoses of Emergency Department Patients in the Netherlands: A Comparative Study of Integrated Primary and Emergency Care

Objective

In the Netherlands, an increasing number of emergency departments (EDs) and general practitioner cooperatives collaborate by creating one Emergency-Care-Access-Point (ECAP). This has resulted in fewer patients at ECAP EDs. The objective of this study was to explore differences in patient characteristics, presented complaints and ED discharge diagnoses between EDs with an ECAP and EDs without an ECAP.

Methods

A retrospective observational study was performed with 1800 consecutive patient records sampled from six EDs spread over the Netherlands in 2013. We extracted data on time and date of presentation, sex, age, presenting complaint, discharge diagnosis, origin and follow up.

Results

At ECAP EDs, the mean age was 47.8 years (95%CI 46.1-49.4) compared to 41.3 (95%CI 39.7-42.9). Compared to non-ECAP EDs, more patients were referred by medical professionals (74.7% versus 46.8%), more patients received hospital admission (45.2% versus 29.0%) and fewer patients received GP follow-up (4.1% versus 16.9%). There was no significant difference in presenting complaints between ECAP and non-ECAP EDs. Most prevalent complaints were trauma (25.7% versus 29.7%), abdominal pain (12.1% versus 10.9%) and general symptoms (7.8% versus 4.8%). The most prevalent ED diagnoses significantly differed with fractures and dislocations (10.8%), sprains and strains (10.4%) and respiratory infections (6.8%) at ECAP EDs versus fractures and dislocations (10.7%), wounds (9.3%) and sprains and strains (8.9%) at non-ECAP EDs.

Conclusion

Compared to non-ECAP EDs, patients at ECAP EDs were older, medical professionals referred more patients and more patients received a hospital admission. We found some small differences in discharge diagnoses between ECAP EDs compared to non-ECAP EDs, but no difference in presented complaints.

Why do patients with 'primary care sensitive' problems access ambulance services? A systematic mapping review of the literature

OBJECTIVE

Emergency ambulance use for problems that could be managed in primary care continues to rise owing to complex reasons that are poorly understood. The objective of this systematic review is to draw together published evidence across a variety of study methodologies and settings to gain a better understanding of why patients seek help from ambulance services for these problems.

DESIGN

Systematic searches were undertaken across the MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsychINFO, CINAHL, Health Management Information Consortium and Health Management Information Service publication databases. Google Scholar, Web of Science, OpenSigle, EThOS and DART databases were also systematically searched for reports, proceedings, book chapters and theses, along with hand-searching of grey literature sources. Studies were included if they reported on findings examining patient, carer, health professional or service management interactions with ambulance services for primary care problems. All study methodologies and perspectives were of interest. Data were extracted, quality assessed and systematically mapped according to key findings through generation of an iterative framework.

RESULTS

A total of 31 studies met inclusion criteria. Findings were summarised across 5 broad categories: factors associated with individual patients; actions of care-givers and bystanders; population-level factors; health infrastructure factors; challenges faced by health professionals. A number of subcategories were developed to explore these factors in more detail.

CONCLUSIONS

This review reports important factors that may impact on ambulance use for primary care problems across a global setting, including demographic measures associated with deprivation, minority status and individual social circumstances. Categorising ambulance calls for primary care problems as 'inappropriate' is context dependant and may be unhelpful. Potential implications for triage and risk management strategies are discussed.

Reducing inappropriate accident and emergency department attendances: a systematic review of primary care service interventions

BACKGROUND

Inappropriate attendances may account for up to 40% of presentations at accident and emergency (A&E) departments. There is considerable interest from health practitioners and policymakers in interventions to reduce this burden.

AIM

To review the evidence on primary care service interventions to reduce inappropriate A&E attendances.

DESIGN AND SETTING

Systematic review of UK and international primary care interventions.

METHOD

Studies published in English between 1 January 1986 and 23 August 2011 were identified from PubMed, the NHS Economic Evaluation Database, the Cochrane Collaboration, and Health Technology Assessment databases. The outcome measures were A&E attendances, patient satisfaction, clinical outcome, and intervention cost. Two authors reviewed titles and abstracts of retrieved results, with adjudication of disagreements conducted by the third. Studies were quality assessed using the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network checklist system where applicable.

RESULTS

In total, 9916 manuscripts were identified, of which 34 were reviewed. Telephone triage was the single best-evaluated intervention. This resulted in negligible impact on A&E attendance, but exhibited acceptable patient satisfaction and clinical safety; cost effectiveness was uncertain. The limited available evidence suggests that emergency nurse practitioners in community settings and community health centres may reduce A&E attendance. For all other interventions considered in this review (walk-in centres, minor injuries units, and out-of-hours general practice), the effects on A&E attendance, patient outcomes, and cost were inconclusive.

CONCLUSION

Studies showed a negligible effect on A&E attendance for all interventions; data on patient outcomes and cost-effectiveness are limited. There is an urgent need to examine all aspects of primary care service interventions that aim to reduce inappropriate A&E attendance.

Out-of-hours primary care services: demands and patient referral patterns in a Veneto region (Italy) Local Health Authority

PURPOSE

The aim of this study was to describe the characteristics of patients admitted to an out-of-hours (OOH) service and to analyze the related outputs.

SETTING

A retrospective population-based cohort study was conducted by analyzing an electronic database recording 23,980 OOH service contacts in 2011 at a Local Health Authority in the Veneto Region (North-East Italy).

METHOD

A multinomial logistic regression was used to compare the characteristics of contacts handled by the OOH physicians with cases referred to other services.

RESULTS

OOH service contact rates were higher for the oldest and youngest age groups and for females rather than males. More than half of the contacts concerned patients who were seen by a OOH physician. More than one in three contacts related problems managed over the phone; only ≈10% of the patients were referred to other services. Many factors, including demographic variables, process-logistic variables and clinical characteristics of the contact, were associated with the decision to visit the patient's home (rather than provide telephone advice alone), or to refer patients to an ED or to a specialist. Our study demonstrated, even after adjusting, certain OOH physicians were more likely than their colleagues to refer a patient to an ED.

CONCLUSION

Our study shows that OOH services meet composite and variously expressed demands. The determining factors associated with cases referred to other health care services should be considered when designing clinical pathways in order to ensure a continuity of care. The unwarranted variability in OOH physicians' performance needs to be addressed.

Drug prescription by telephone consultation in Danish out-of-hours primary care: a population-based study of frequency and associations with clinical severity and diagnosis

Background

Danish general practitioners (GPs) answer all calls to the out-of-hours primary care service. About 60% of the calls are terminated on the telephone through provision of medical advice and prescription of medication. Nevertheless, little is known about the prescription patterns of telephone consultations, such as prescription frequency and indications for drug use. Our aim was to examine the characteristics of patients and GPs in telephone consultations resulting in drug prescription.

Methods

The study was based on a 12-month survey on reasons for encounter in the Danish out-of-hours primary care service. A total of 385 GPs (55.5% of all GPs from Central Denmark Region on duty during a year) participated in answering electronic pop-up questionnaires integrated in the electronic patient administration system. The questionnaires contained items on reasons for encounter (e.g. existing chronic disease or new health problem), diagnoses, and GP-assessed severity of the health problem. Data on time of contact, patient gender and age, and prescribed medication (Anatomic Therapeutic Chemical classifications) for telephone consultations were obtained from the patient administration system. Differences in characteristics of patients, general practitioners, and contacts were examined, and associations with prescribed medication were analysed using a multivariate analysis with prevalence ratios.

Results

Medication was prescribed in 19.9% of the included 4,173 telephone consultations; antibiotics and analgesics were prescribed most frequently (10.8% and 2.5%, respectively). GPs tended to assess contacts resulting in antibiotic prescription as more severe than other contacts. For high-severity contacts, there was a lower likelihood for prescription (prevalence ratio = 0.28 (0.16-0.47)). Children aged 0-4 years had lower probability of receiving a prescription compared with patients aged 18-40 years. The prescription rate was highest during the first four hours of the opening hours of the out-of-hours primary care service.

Conclusion

One in five of all telephone consultations involved drug prescription; antibiotics constituted half of these prescriptions. Drug prescription by telephone was less likely to be offered in cases involving ‘severe’ reason for encounter or children. This study calls for further studies of drug prescriptions issued via out-of-hours primary care telephone consultations.

Self-referring patients at the emergency department: appropriateness of ED use and motives for self-referral

BACKGROUND

Nearly all Dutch citizens have a general practitioner (GP), acting as a gatekeeper to secondary care. Some patients bypass the GP and present to the emergency department (ED). To make best use of existing emergency care, Dutch health policy makers and insurance companies have proposed the integration of EDs and GP cooperatives (GPCs) into one facility. In this study, we examined ED use and assessed the characteristics of self-referrals and non-self-referrals, their need for hospital emergency care and self-referrals' motives for presenting at the ED.

METHODS

A descriptive cohort study was conducted in a Dutch level 1 trauma centre. Differences in patient characteristics, time of presentation and need for hospital emergency care were analysed using χ (2) tests and t tests. A patient was considered to need hospital emergency care when he/she was admitted to the hospital, had an extremity fracture and/or when diagnostic tests were performed. Main determinants of self-referral were identified via logistic regression.

RESULTS

Of the 5,003 consecutive ED patients registering within the 5-week study period, 3,028 (60.5%) were self-referrals. Thirty-nine percent of the self-referrals had urgent acuity levels, as opposed to 65% of the non-self-referrals. Self-referrals more often suffered from injuries (49 vs. 20%). One third of the self-referrals presented during office hours. Of all self-referrals, 51% needed hospital emergency care. Younger age; non-urgent acuity level; chest pain, ear, nose or throat problems; and injuries were independent predictors for self-referral. Most cited motives for self-referring were 'accessibility and convenience' and perceived 'medical necessity'.

CONCLUSIONS

A substantial part of the self-referrals needed hospital emergency care. The 49% self-referrals who were eligible for GP care presented during out-of-hours as well as during office hours. This calls for an integrative approach to this health care problem.

The predictive value of the NICE "red traffic lights" in acutely ill children

OBJECTIVE

Early recognition and treatment of febrile children with serious infections (SI) improves prognosis, however, early detection can be difficult. We aimed to validate the predictive rule-in value of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) most severe alarming signs or symptoms to identify SI in children.

DESIGN, SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS

The 16 most severe ("red") features of the NICE traffic light system were validated in seven different primary care and emergency department settings, including 6,260 children presenting with acute illness.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

We focussed on the individual predictive value of single red features for SI and their combinations. Results were presented as positive likelihood ratios, sensitivities and specificities. We categorised "general" and "disease-specific" red features. Changes in pre-test probability versus post-test probability for SI were visualised in Fagan nomograms.

RESULTS

Almost all red features had rule-in value for SI, but only four individual red features substantially raised the probability of SI in more than one dataset: "does not wake/stay awake", "reduced skin turgor", "non-blanching rash", and "focal neurological signs". The presence of ≥ 3 red features improved prediction of SI but still lacked strong rule-in value as likelihood ratios were below 5.

CONCLUSIONS

The rule-in value of the most severe alarming signs or symptoms of the NICE traffic light system for identifying children with SI was limited, even when multiple red features were present. Our study highlights the importance of assessing the predictive value of alarming signs in clinical guidelines prior to widespread implementation in routine practice.

Hospital-integrated general practice: a promising way to manage walk-in patients in emergency departments

RATIONALE, AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

The inappropriate use and overcrowding of emergency departments (EDs) by walk-in patients are well-known problems in many countries. The current study aimed to determine whether ambulatory walk-in patients could be treated more efficiently in a new hospital-integrated general practice (HGP) for emergency care services compared to a traditional ED.

METHODS

We conducted a pre-post comparison before and after the implementation of a new HGP. Participants were walk-in patients attending the ED of a city hospital in Zurich. Main outcome measures were differences in total process time, time intervals between stages of care and diagnostic resources used.

RESULTS

The median process time from admission to discharge was 120 minutes in the ED [interquartile range (IQR): 80-165] versus 60 minutes in the HGP (IQR: 40-90) (P < 0.001). The adjusted odds ratio of receiving any additional diagnostics was 1.86 (95% confidence interval 1.06-3.27; P = 0.032) for ED doctors versus general practitioners (GPs) when controlling for patients' age, sex and injury-related medical problems.

CONCLUSION

The HGP is an efficient way to manage walk-in patients with regard to process time and utilization of additional diagnostic resources. The involvement of GPs in the HGPs should be considered as a promising model to overcome the inappropriate use of resources in EDs for walk-in patients who can be treated by ambulatory care.

Use of alarm features in referral of febrile children to the emergency department: an observational study

BACKGROUND

The diagnostic value of alarm features of serious infections in low prevalence settings is unclear.

AIM

To explore to what extent alarm features play a role in referral to the emergency department (ED) by GPs who face a febrile child during out-of-hours care.

DESIGN AND SETTING

Observational study using semi-structured, routine clinical practice data of febrile children (<16 years) presenting to GP out-of-hours care.

METHOD

Logistic regression analyses were performed to assess the association between alarm features of serious infections (selected from two guidelines and one systematic review) and referral to the ED. Adherence to the guideline was explored by a 2×2 contingency table.

RESULTS

In total 794 (8.1%) of 9794 eligible patients were referred to the ED. Alarm signs most strongly associated with referral were 'age <1 month', 'decreased consciousness', 'meningeal irritation', and 'signs of dehydration'. Nineteen percent of 3424 children with a positive referral indication according to the guideline were referred to the ED. The majority of those not referred had only one or two alarm features present. A negative referral indication was adhered to for the majority of children. Still, in 20% of referred children, alarm features were absent.

CONCLUSION

In contrast to guidance, GPs working in primary out-of-hours care seem more conservative in referring febrile children to the ED, especially if only one or two alarm features of serious infection are present. In addition, in 20% of referred children, alarm features were absent, which suggests that other factors may be important in decisions about referral of febrile children to the hospital ED.

The impact of neighborhood deprivation on patients' unscheduled out-of-hours healthcare seeking behavior: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

The use of unscheduled out of hours medical care is related to the social status of the patient. However, the social variance in the patient's preference for a hospital based versus a primary care based facility, and the impact of specific patient characteristics such as the travel distance to both types of facilities is unclear. This study aims to determine the social gradient in emergency care seeking behavior (consulting the emergency department (ED) in a hospital or the community-based Primary Care Center (PCC)) taking into account patient characteristics including the geographical distance from the patient's home to both services.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study, including 7,723 patients seeking out-of-hours care during 16 weekends and 2 public holidays was set up in all EDs and PCCs in Ghent, Belgium. Information on the consulted type of service, and neighborhood deprivation level was collected, but also the exact geographical distance from the patient's home to both types of services, and if the patient has a regular GP.

RESULTS

Patients living in a socially deprived area have a higher propensity to choose a hospital-based ED than their counterparts living in more affluent neighborhoods. This social difference persists when taking into account distance to both services, having a regular GP, and being hospitalized or not. The impact of the distance between the patient's home address and the location of both types of services on the patient's choice of service is rather small.

CONCLUSIONS

Initiatives aiming to lead patients more to PCC by penalizing inappropriate ED use might increase health inequity when they are not twinned with interventions improving the access to primary care services and tackling the underlying mechanisms of patients' emergency care seeking behavior. Further research exploring the impact of out-of-hours care organization (gatekeeping, payment systems, …) and the patient's perspectives on out-of-hours care services is needed.

GP cooperative and emergency department: an exploration of patient flows

RATIONALE, AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

In most countries, different health care providers are involved in emergency care. In the Netherlands, out-of-hours care is provided by general practitioner cooperatives (GPCs) and emergency departments (EDs). Our aim was to describe the flow of patients attending emergency care in these settings.

METHOD

A retrospective record review was performed, concerning patients who had visited a GPC or ED. Recorded information included urgency, diagnostic tests, and follow-up contacts. Descriptive figures were determined for patient flows in GPC and ED for urgent contacts and non-urgent contacts.

RESULTS

We included 319 GPC contacts and 356 ED contacts, of which 78% were non-urgent. The majority of GPC contacts were completed at the GPC without follow-up; 37% of non-urgent patients had a follow-up contact, usually with primary care. Only 5% of non-urgent GPC patients received diagnostic tests compared to 63% of non-urgent ED patients (mostly X-rays). The majority of non-urgent ED patients (88%) had a follow-up contact, usually at an outpatient clinic (67%). Most non-urgent ED patients (83%) who received a diagnostic test also had an outpatient clinic follow-up contact. Of urgent ED patients, the majority had a follow-up contact (85%), mostly with an outpatient clinic (74%).

CONCLUSION

Although most out-of-hours care patients present non-urgent health problems, at the ED they are more likely to receive diagnostic tests and follow-up contacts. This may reflect differences in patient populations between the ED and GPC or suggest opportunities for improving efficiency of planning follow-up contacts.

Where Americans get acute care: increasingly, it's not at their doctor's office

Historically, general practitioners provided first-contact care in the United States. Today, however, only 42 percent of the 354 million annual visits for acute care--treatment for newly arising health problems--are made to patients' personal physicians. The rest are made to emergency departments (28 percent), specialists (20 percent), or outpatient departments (7 percent). Although fewer than 5 percent of doctors are emergency physicians, they handle a quarter of all acute care encounters and more than half of such visits by the uninsured. Health reform provisions in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act that advance patient-centered medical homes and accountable care organizations are intended to improve access to acute care. The challenge for reform will be to succeed in the current, complex acute care landscape.

The effectiveness of nurse practitioners working at a GP cooperative: a study protocol

Background

In many countries out-of-hours care faces serious challenges, including shortage of general practitioners, a high workload, reduced motivation to work out of hours, and increased demand for out-of-hours care. One response to these challenges is the introduction of nurse practitioner as doctor substitutes, in order to maintain the (high) accessibility and safety of out of hours care. Although nurse practitioners have proven to provide equally safe and efficient care during daytime primary care, it is unclear whether substitution is effective and efficient in the more complex out of hours primary care. This study aims to assess the effects of substitution of care from general practitioners to nurse practitioners in an out of hours primary care setting.

Design

A quasi experimental study is undertaken at one “general practitioner cooperative” to offer out-of-hours care for 304.000 people in the South East of the Netherlands. In the experimental condition patient care is provided by a team of one nurse practitioner and four general practitioners; where the nurse practitioner replaces one general practitioner during one day of the weekend from 10 am to 5 pm. In the control condition patient care is provided by a team of five general practitioners during the other day of the weekend, also from 10 am to 5 pm. The study period last 15 months, from April 2011 till July 2012.

Methods

Data will be collected on number of different outcomes using a range of methods. Our primary outcome is substitution of care. This is calculated using the number and characteristics of patients that have a consultation at the GP cooperative. We compare the number of patients seen by both professionals, type of complaints, resource utilization (e.g. prescription, tests, investigations, referrals) and waiting times in the experimental condition and control condition. This data is derived from patient electronic medical records. Secondary outcomes are: patient satisfaction; general practitioners workload; quality and safety of care and barriers and facilitators.

Discussion

The study will provide evidence whether substitution of care in out-of-hours setting is safe and efficient and give insight into barriers and facilitators related to the introduction of nurse practitioners in out-of-hours setting.

Trial registration

ClinicalTrials.gov ID NCT01388374

Validity of telephone and physical triage in emergency care: the Netherlands Triage System

BACKGROUND

Due to emergency care overcrowding, right care at the right place and time is necessary. Uniform triage of patients contacting different emergency care settings will improve quality of care and communication between health care providers.

OBJECTIVE

Validation of the computer-based Netherlands Triage System (NTS) developed for physical triage at emergency departments (EDs) and telephone triage at general practitioner cooperatives (GPCs).

METHODS

Prospective observational study with patients attending the ED of a university-affiliated hospital (September 2008 to November 2008) or contacting an urban GPC (December 2008 to February 2009). For validation of the NTS, we defined surrogate urgency markers as best proxies for true urgency. For physical triage (ED): resource use, hospitalization and follow-up. For telephone triage (GPC): referral to ED, self-care advice after telephone consultation or GP advice after physical consultation. Associations between NTS urgency levels and surrogate urgency markers were evaluated using chi-square tests for trend.

RESULTS

We included nearly 10 000 patients. For physical triage at ED, NTS urgency levels were associated with resource use, hospitalization and follow-up. For telephone triage at GPC, trends towards more ED referrals in high NTS urgency levels and more self-care advices after telephone consultation in lower NTS urgency levels were found. The association between NTS urgency classification and GP advice was less explicit. Similar results were found for children; however, we found no association between NTS urgency level and GP advice.

CONCLUSIONS

Physically and telephone-assigned NTS urgency levels were associated with majority of surrogate urgency markers. The NTS as single triage system for physical and telephone triage seems feasible.

Walk-ins seeking treatment at an emergency department or general practitioner out-of-hours service: a cross-sectional comparison

Background

Emergency Departments (ED) in Switzerland are faced with increasing numbers of patients seeking non-urgent treatment. The high rate of walks-ins with conditions that may be treated in primary care has led to suggestions that those patients would best cared for in a community setting rather than in a hospital. Efficient reorganisation of emergency care tailored to patients needs requires information on the patient populations using the various emergency services currently available. The aim of this study is to evaluate the differences between the characteristics of walk-in patients seeking treatment at an ED and those of patients who use traditional out-of-hours GP (General Practitioner) services provided by a GP-Cooperative (GP-C).

Methods

In 2007 and 2009 data was collected covering all consecutive patient-doctor encounters at the ED of a hospital and all those occurring as a result of contacting a GP-C over two evaluation periods of one month each. Comparison was made between a GP-C and the ED of the Waid City Hospital in Zurich. Patient characteristics, time and source of referral, diagnostic interventions and mode of discharge were evaluated. Medical problems were classified according to the International Classification of Primary Care (ICPC-2). Patient characteristics were compared using non-parametric tests and multiple logistic regression analysis was applied to investigate independent determinants for contacting a GP-C or an ED.

Results

Overall a total of 2974 patient encounters were recorded. 1901 encounters were walk-ins and underwent further analysis (ED 1133, GP-C 768). Patients consulting the GP-C were significantly older (58.9 vs. 43.8 years), more often female (63.5 vs. 46.9%) and presented with non-injury related medical problems (93 vs. 55.6%) in comparison with patients at the ED. Independent determining factors for ED consultation were injury, male gender and younger age. Walk-in distribution in both settings was equal over a period of 24 hours and most common during daytime hours (65%).

Outpatient care was predominant in both settings but significantly more so at the GP-C (79.9 vs. 85.7%).

Conclusions

We observed substantial differences between the two emergency settings in a non gate-keeping health care system. Knowledge of the distribution of diagnoses, their therapy, of diagnostic measures and of the factors which determine the patients' choice of the ED or the GP-C is essential for the efficient allocation of resources and the reduction of costs.

Out-of-hours demand in primary care: frequency, mode of contact and reasons for encounter in Switzerland

RATIONALE, AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

To investigate the demand for traditional out-of-hours general practitioner (GP) emergency care in Switzerland including GPs' satisfaction and reasons for encounter (RFE).

METHOD

During a 2-month period (2009), a questionnaire-based, cross-sectional study was performed in GPs participating in the mandatory out-of-hours service in the city of Zurich, Switzerland. The number and mode of patient contacts were assessed to investigate the demand for GP care in traditional out-of-hours services. GPs and patient characteristics, including RFE according to the International Classification of Primary Care, were noted. Descriptive statistics and non-parametric tests were conducted.

RESULTS

Out of the 295 out-of-hours episodes during the study period, 148 (50%) duty periods were documented by a total of 93 GPs (75% men) with a mean (SD) age of 48.0 (6.2) years. The median (interquartile range) number of out-of-hours contacts was 5 (3-8) and the demand for home visits was significantly more common compared with practice and telephone consultations. A total of 112 different RFEs were responsible for the 382 documented patient contacts with fever accounting for the most common complaint (13.9%). Although 80% of GPs agreed to be satisfied overall with their profession as primary care provider, 57.6% among them were dissatisfied with the current out-of-hours service. Inappropriate payment and interference with their daily work in practice were most frequently reported.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings indicate that there is still strong patient demand for out-of-hours care with special need for home visits, suggesting that new organizational models such as integrating GPs into emergency care may not be an appropriate approach for all patients. Therefore, the ongoing reorganization of the out-of-hours-service in many health care systems has to be evaluated carefully in order not to miss important patient needs.

Out of hours care: a profile analysis of patients attending the emergency department and the general practitioner on call

Background

Overuse of emergency departments (ED) is of concern in Western society and it is often referred to as 'inappropriate' use. This phenomenon may compromise efficient use of health care personnel, infrastructure and financial resources of the ED. To redirect patients, an extensive knowledge of the experiences and attitudes of patients and their choice behaviour is necessary. The aim of this study is to quantify the patients and socio-economical determinants for choosing the general practitioner (GP) on call or the ED.

Methods

Data collection was conducted simultaneously in 4 large cities in Belgium. All patients who visited EDs or used the services of the GP on call during two weekends in January 2005 were enrolled in the study in a prospective manner. We used semi-structured questionnaires to interview patients from both services.

Results

1611 patient contacts were suitable for further analysis. 640 patients visited the GP and 971 went to the ED. Determinants that associated with the choice of the ED are: being male, having visited the ED during the past 12 months at least once, speaking another language than Dutch or French, being of African (sub-Saharan as well as North African) nationality and no medical insurance. We also found that young men are more likely to seek help at the ED for minor trauma, compared to women.

Conclusions

Patients tend to seek help at the service they are acquainted with. Two populations that distinctively seek help at the ED for minor medical problems are people of foreign origin and men suffering minor trauma. Aiming at a redirection of patients, special attention should go to these patients. Informing them about the health services' specific tasks and the needlessness of technical examinations for minor trauma, might be a useful intervention.

What's the effect of the implementation of general practitioner cooperatives on caseload? Prospective intervention study on primary and secondary care

Background

Out-of-hours care in the primary care setting is rapidly changing and evolving towards general practitioner 'cooperatives' (GPC). GPCs already exist in the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and Scandinavia, all countries with strong general practice, including gatekeepers' role. This intervention study reports the use and caseload of out-of-hours care before and after implementation of a GPC in a well subscribed region in a country with an open access health care system and no gatekeepers' role for general practice.

Methods

We used a prospective before/after interventional study design. The intervention was the implementation of a GPC.

Results

One year after the implementation of a GPC, the number of patient contacts in the intervention region significantly increased at the GPC (OR: 1.645; 95% CI: 1.439-1.880), while there were no significant changes in patient contacts at the Emergency Department (ED) or in other regions where a simultaneous registration was performed. Although home visits decreased in all general practitioner registrations, the difference was more pronounced in the intervention region (intervention region: OR: 0.515; 95% CI: 0.411-0.646, other regions: OR: 0.743; 95% CI: 0.608-0.908). At the ED we observed a decrease in the number of trauma cases (OR: 0.789; 95% CI: 0.648-0.960) and of patients who came to hospital by ambulance (OR: 0.687; 95% CI: 0.565-0.836).

Conclusions

One year after its implementation more people seek help at the GPC, while the number of contacts at the ED remains the same. The most prominent changes in caseload are found in the trauma cases. Establishing a GPC in an open health care system, might redirect some patients with particular medical problems to primary care. This could lead to a lowering of costs or a more cost-effective out of hours care, but further research should focus on effective usage to divert patient flows and on quality and outcome of care.

Frequent attendance of primary care out-of-hours services in the Netherlands: characteristics of patients and presented morbidity

BACKGROUND

Over the last years, a system of regional general practices was developed in The Netherlands, responsible for the primary care out-of-hours services (OHS). As in daytime, frequent attendance of the OHS increases workload and the health care; detailed description of the background of frequent attendance is required to develop interventions aiming at reduction.

OBJECTIVES

To assess the characteristics of the frequent attenders (FAs) and the presented morbidity during their consultations and to study the persistence of frequent attendance.

METHODS

We performed a retrospective descriptive 1-year database investigation of all patient contacts (n = 44 953) made in 2007 with the OHS 'de Gelderse Vallei'. We analysed characteristics of normal attender, FA and very frequent attender (VFA) and compared the reason for encounter, GP diagnoses, psychiatric co-morbidities and management during their 2007 consultations.

RESULTS

VFAs, constituting 1% of the attenders and 7.7% of the total number of contacts, more often reported agitation as reason for encounter. The prevalence of psychiatric diagnosis in the VFA group (15.3%) was significantly higher than in other groups. Reassurance was the most frequent prevalent management action in each group. The prevalence of chronic diseases and psychological problems was higher in the VFA groups.

CONCLUSIONS

Frequent attendance puts severe pressure on OHS resources. Much of the frequent attendance can be explained by the increased incidence of chronic diseases and psychiatric co-morbidity.

Patient satisfaction with access in two interprofessional academic family medicine clinics

BACKGROUND

Satisfaction with access to primary care is one component of overall patient satisfaction. The objectives of this paper were to describe patient satisfaction with access in interprofessional family practices and to examine predictors of being less than satisfied with access.

METHODS

A survey was mailed to 770 randomly selected patients in two academic interprofessional family practices in Hamilton, Canada. Most items were positively worded statements on a five-point scale from strongly agree to strongly disagree. Outcomes were the proportion of respondents agreeing with statements regarding access. For items where > or =25% of respondents did not agree, we examined socio-demographic predictors of disagreement using multiple variable logistic regression.

RESULTS

The response rate was 49.9% (384/770). One-quarter or more of respondents did not agree that they received an explanation if the appointment was delayed at the office, obtain urgent appointments, obtain prescription refills without a visit or that wait times at the office were reasonable. Predictors of not agreeing included younger age, being married or single, more educated, employed and of non-white ethnicity. Less than 10 minutes was the most satisfactory wait time for the appointment to begin; however, the most common wait time reported was 11-20 minutes. One-quarter of respondents had visited the weekend/holiday clinic in the past 12 months; however, use was not associated with perceived ability to obtain an appointment in 1-2 days.

CONCLUSIONS

While satisfaction was generally high, some aspects of access could be improved by changes in practice organization or patient education regarding expectations.

Sentinel monitoring of activity of out-of-hours services in Norway in 2007: an observational study

Background

In Norway, no valid activity statistics from the primary health care out-of-hours services or the pre-hospital emergency health care system have previously been available.

Methods

The National Centre for Emergency Primary Health Care has initiated an enterprise called "The Watchtowers" which consists of a representative sample of seven casualty clinics covering 18 Norwegian municipalities. The purpose of the project is to provide routine information over several years, which will enable monitoring, evaluation and comparison of the activities in the out-of-hours services. This paper presents data from 2007, the first full calendar year for the Watchtowers, analyzes some differences in user patterns for the seven casualty clinics involved, and estimates national figures for the use of casualty clinics and out-of-hours services in Norway.

Results

A total of 85 288 contacts were recorded during 2007 [399 per 1 000 inhabitants] of which 64 846 contacts were considered non-urgent [76.6%]. There were 53 467 consultations by a doctor [250 per 1 000], 8 073 telephone consultations by doctor [38 per 1 000], 2 783 home visits and call-outs by doctor [13 per 1000] and 20 502 contacts managed by nurses on their own [96 per 1000]. The most common mode of contact was by telephone. Women, young children and elderly had the highest rates of contact.

Conclusion

Norway has a high rate of contacts to the out-of-hours services compared with some other countries with available data. Valid national figures and future research of these services are important both for local services and policy makers.