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Do postal questionnaires change GPs' workload and referral patterns?

C J Watkins1

  • 1Backwell and Nailsea Medical Group, Bristol, UK.

Family Practice
|May 13, 1999
PubMed
Summary
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Mailed health needs questionnaires did not increase general practice workload. This study found no significant changes in consultation frequency or referrals, reassuring GPs about potential impacts on practice costs.

Area of Science:

  • General Practice and Primary Care
  • Health Services Research
  • Patient Assessment Tools

Background:

  • Assessing patient needs is crucial for effective primary care delivery.
  • Postal questionnaires are a potential tool for gathering health information from patients.
  • Understanding the impact of such tools on general practice workload is essential for resource management.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the impact of administering a postal health needs questionnaire on general practice workload.
  • To determine if this intervention affects consultation frequency, referrals, or prescribing patterns.

Main Methods:

  • A controlled before-and-after intervention study design was employed.
  • A postal questionnaire assessed health needs, service utilization, and risk factors in patients with specific conditions.

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  • Outcomes measured included consultation rates, home visits, referrals, and prescriptions.

    • Main Results:

    • No significant differences were observed in consultation frequency, referral rates, or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug prescriptions between study and control groups.
    • A significant reduction in daytime home visits and analgesic prescriptions was noted in the study group.
    • Further analysis of patients receiving a medical examination alongside the questionnaire showed no significant differences in workload indicators.

    Conclusions:

    • Postal health needs questionnaires did not increase workload, consultation frequency, or referral rates in general practice.
    • Observed reductions in home visits and prescriptions were deemed a statistical artifact.
    • GPs can be assured that this type of questionnaire administration does not lead to increased workload or care costs.