Minor ailments in out-of-hours primary care: an observational study

Many consultations are partly or totally spent on minor ailments. A minor ailment is defined as a health complaint which, by simple actions, patients could handle themselves.

To investigate the prevalence, type of conditions, and time spent on minor ailments in consultations in out-of-hours care in Norway.

An observational study of consultations at six out-of-hours primary care centres was carried out during evenings and weekends in November and December 2008. Main outcome measures were number and type of minor ailments, as well as consultation time. The minor ailments were predefined by a list of conditions. Conditions which, by certain pre-set criteria, still needed a doctor's professional advice were reclassified as "no minor ailment".

A total of 210 consultations were observed. The patients' mean age was 28 years (range 0-94). Cough, fever, sore throat, upper respiratory tract infection, and earache contributed 76% of the 211 minor ailments registered. After reclassification, 58 (28%) of the 210 consultations registered were classified as partly or totally a minor ailment. These minor ailments represented 18% of the doctors' total consultation time in the 210 observed consultations.

More than a quarter of the observed consultations were partly or totally spent on addressing minor ailments. This shows a potential for empowering patients to rely on self-care also for minor ailments in out-of-hours primary care.