Patient mobility and consulting behavior: a comparative study between the United Kingdom and the United States

A study of consulting patterns of patients in the United Kingdom and the United States who had recently moved house and settled in a new environment shows that the act of moving has a notable effect on patients' health. Despite the radically different structure of the medical services in the United Kingdom and the United States, the consulting behavior of patients in contrasting settings was remarkably similar. During the first year in a new community, adults will consult twice as often as established patients with emotional illness; and during the same period of time, children will be seen twice as often with respiratory illness. The settling in period in a new environment is a time of stress, and such times of stress will be reflected by higher consulting rates and greater demand on physicians' services.