Burden and patient characteristics associated with repeat consultation for unscheduled care within 30 days in primary care: a retrospective case control study with implications for aging and public health

Frontiers in Public Health

Public Health

Valentin Richard¹  Clément Richard²  Leila Bouazzi³  Stéphane Sanchez⁴ 

[1] General Practice Department, University of Tours, Tours, France;SOS Medecin, Troyes, France;University Committee of Resources for Research in Health (CURRS), University of Reims, Marne, France;University Committee of Resources for Research in Health (CURRS), University of Reims, Marne, France;Public Health and Performance Department, Champagne Sud Hospital, Troyes Hospital, Troyes, France;

关键词: quality of care;    general practice;    duty period;    primary care supress (MeSH);    public health;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fpubh.2023.1079755

 received in 2022-10-25, accepted in 2023-07-03,  发布年份 2023

来源: Frontiers

【 摘 要 】

IntroductionRepeated consultations in primary care represent a significant burden on healthcare services. Characterizing the patients who repeatedly attend ambulatory care would enhance our understanding of the healthcare needs of this population, with a view to providing appropriate services. The aim of this study was therefore to identify the factors associated with repeated consultation in unscheduled care. Our secondary aim was to explore the specific profile of patients aged >65 years.MethodsA retrospective case–control study comparing re-consultation within 30 days at a primary care facility versus non-reconsulting patients, defined as those who did not reconsult within 30 days, among patients consulting over a period of 1 year (1 January to 31 December 2019). Data was collected for a random sample of 5,059 consultations. Patients and controls were matched for age ± 5 years, and sex.ResultsThe main factors associated with repeat consultation were an initial consultation late at night (midnight to 6.00 am; OR 1.31, 95%CI 1.20–1.44), and psychological disorders as the main diagnosis (OR 1.33, 95%CI 1.20–1.48). Conversely, consulting at the weekend was associated with a lower likelihood of repeat consultation (OR 0.82, 95% 0.85–0.91).Conclusion30-day reconsultations were significantly more frequent after late night consultation. This could be used as an indicator of the quality of care to assess performance of general practice teams with implications for improving overall health of an aging population.

【 授权许可】

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Copyright © 2023 Richard, Bouazzi, Richard and Sanchez.