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Shared help seeking behaviour within families: a retrospective cohort study
M Cardol1, P P Groenewegen, D H de Bakker
1NIVEL (Netherlands Institute for Health Services Research), PO Box 1568, 3800 BN Utrecht, Netherlands. m.cardol@nivel.nl
BMJ (Clinical Research Ed.)
|March 18, 2005
Summary
Family members’ general practitioner visit frequency is influenced by shared behaviors, with 22% of contact variance attributed to family dynamics. This highlights the importance of understanding family influence on healthcare seeking within practices.
Area of Science:
- Family Medicine
- Health Services Research
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Understanding factors influencing healthcare utilization is crucial for effective health service delivery.
- Family dynamics may play a significant role in individual healthcare seeking behaviors.
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantify the influence of family on an individual's use of general practitioner (GP) care.
- To explore correlations in healthcare contact frequencies among family members.
Main Methods:
- A retrospective cohort study analyzed GP consultations from one calendar year in the Netherlands.
- Multilevel modeling was employed to assess contact frequencies within families and practices.
- Data included 42,262 families with children aged 2-21 years across 96 practices.
Main Results:
- Family influence accounted for 22% of the variance in GP contact frequencies, indicating similar patterns within families.
- Strongest correlations in contact frequency were observed between mothers and children, and among children.
- Individual differences explained 73% of the variance, while practice differences accounted for 6%.
Conclusions:
- Shared help-seeking behaviors within families significantly impact general practice utilization.
- These findings have implications for understanding and managing patient contact patterns in primary care settings.