A named GP increases self-reported access to health care services

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Health Services Research
• General Practice

Background:

• Continuity of care is recognized for its role in health promotion and mortality reduction, though underlying mechanisms require further elucidation.
• Finland has experienced a decline in both continuity of care and healthcare service accessibility in recent decades.
• Understanding the impact of primary care models is crucial in evolving healthcare landscapes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine if a consistently assigned general practitioner (GP) correlates with primary and hospital healthcare service usage.
• To assess the current state of continuity of care within Finland's evolving healthcare system.
• To provide evidence-based insights into the relationship between GP assignment and healthcare service utilization.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from the Finnish Health and Social Support (HeSSup) survey (1998, 2003, 2012) with a large adult population sample.
• Continuity of care was assessed using 2003 and 2012 data; service use was the primary outcome variable.
• Binomial logistic regression analyzed associations between continuity of care, patient characteristics, and healthcare service use.

Main Results:

• A named and assigned GP showed a significant independent association with increased primary care utilization (OR 1.53, p < 0.001).
• A named GP was also significantly associated with higher hospital service use (OR 1.19, p < 0.001).
• These findings remained significant after adjusting for various demographic and health-related factors.

Conclusions:

• The presence of a named GP is associated with greater utilization of both primary and hospital healthcare services.
• A named GP model enhances access to care, particularly for the chronically ill population in Finland.
• While continuity of care has benefits, especially for vulnerable groups, its full potential may not yet be realized in the Finnish system.