The national ambulatory medical care survey: 1973 summary United States, may 1973-april 1974

There were an estimated 644.9 million "encounters", or "visits", in the offices of "office-based" physicians in the United States during the period May 1973-April 1974. By definition, these were visits for the purpose of seeking or receiving care that involved a direct personal exchange between the patient and the physician or a member of his staff, Females accounted for three of every five visits. White persons accounted for nearly 9 of every 10 visits. The average person made 3.1 visits during the 1-year period. General and family practitioners accounted for 40.4 percent of all visits; medical specialties, 26.3 percent; and surgical specialties, 28.5 percent. More than 60 percent of all visits were by patients seen previously for the same problem; and about 20 percent were for problems considered serious or very serious by the physician. During 63 percent of all visits, the patient expressed a "symptomatic" problem or complaint as the major reason for the visit. "Nonsymptomatic" problems accounted for 18 percent of all visits. Either a disease of the respiratory system or a disease of the circulatory system was the diagnosis in about one of every four visits. Drug therapy was part of the treatment prescribed at half of all visits. Laboratory tests were ordered nearly 20 percent of the time as was an injection or immunization. No treatment was considered necessary at 5 percent of all visits. For 61.2 percent of the visits, the patient was instructed to return at a specified time. No followup was planned at 12.7 percent of the visits.