On content of practice. An Icelandic multicentre study, population, practices and contacts

Area of Science:

• Family Medicine
• Health Services Research
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Data on the scope of Icelandic family practice was limited prior to this study.
• Understanding patient contact patterns is crucial for resource allocation and service evaluation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conduct a prospective audit of Icelandic family practices to gather data on their content.
• To analyze population characteristics, practice sizes, provider types, and patient contact frequency.

Main Methods:

• A prospective practice audit was conducted across 17 Icelandic health centers (13 rural, 4 urban) throughout 1988.
• Computerized contact data from 50,865 individuals (20.2% of the Icelandic population) were analyzed.
• Data included population demographics, practice scale, healthcare provider composition, and contact types (office, phone, home).

Main Results:

• The study population comprised 50,865 individuals, with an average of 1,152 subjects per doctor across the centers.
• A total of 257,188 patient contacts were recorded, averaging 5.1 contacts per subject annually.
• Rural and urban contact rates were similar (5.1/subject), with variations in contact type distribution; phone contact was more frequent than in other countries.

Conclusions:

• Computerized systems in family practice offer a viable method for ongoing data collection for epidemiological studies.
• The collected data provide valuable insights into the nature of family practice in Iceland, comparable to international standards.
• This audit demonstrates the utility of practice data for performance review and health service planning.