Health problems in returning travelers consulting general practitioners

Area of Science:

• General Practice
• Primary Care Medicine
• Public Health

Background:

• General practitioners (GPs) play a crucial role in primary healthcare.
• Understanding the common health impairments managed in general practice is essential for resource allocation and health policy.
• A 2-month observational study was conducted to capture the spectrum of patient conditions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To document the types and prevalence of health impairments encountered by general practitioners.
• To identify the most frequent conditions managed in a primary care setting.
• To provide data on the disease burden in community-based general practice.

Main Methods:

• An observational study involving 143 general practitioners over a 2-month period.
• Data collection on 97 patients presenting with 113 distinct health impairments.
• Categorization of health impairments based on presenting symptoms and diagnoses.

Main Results:

• A total of 113 health impairments were recorded across 97 patients.
• The most prevalent conditions included gastrointestinal problems (35%), respiratory tract infections (30%), and skin diseases (11%).
• Systemic febrile illnesses and imported tropical diseases represented less than 4% of the cases.

Conclusions:

• Gastrointestinal, respiratory, and dermatological conditions are the primary drivers of patient consultations in general practice.
• The study highlights the burden of common, non-exotic diseases in primary care settings.
• Findings can inform clinical practice guidelines and public health strategies for prevalent conditions.