[The primary care frequent attender profile]

Area of Science:

• Primary Health Care Research
• Health Services Management
• Patient Profiling

Background:

• Frequent attenders pose significant human, economic, and social challenges in Primary Care.
• Limited research exists on the characteristics of frequent attenders within Portuguese Primary Care settings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the sociodemographic and pathological characteristics of frequent attenders in a Portuguese Primary Health Care Practice.
• To establish a profile of frequent attenders for comparison with international literature.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study with an analytical component was conducted between January 2007 and December 2009.
• Data on sociodemographic characteristics and physical/mental illnesses were collected from clinical records of 582 individuals.
• Statistical analyses, including chi-square and t-tests, were used to compare the top quartile of frequent attenders with the remaining population.

Main Results:

• Frequent attenders were, on average, 55.4 years old, with 85% having chronic physical illness and 42% chronic psychiatric illness.
• The upper quartile of frequent attenders showed a higher prevalence of chronic psychiatric illness and multiple pathologies.
• Individuals with physical illness were older, while those with chronic psychiatric illness were younger compared to the general population.

Conclusions:

• The profile of frequent attenders aligns with international findings, characterized by advanced age, low educational level, and chronic psychiatric illness.
• Knowledge of these patient characteristics can inform the development of more cost-effective healthcare strategies.
• This study provides guidelines for future research on frequent attenders in primary care.