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[Characteristics of the patient overusing on-demand general medical services]
M C Fuertes Goñi1, E Alvarez Tutor, M D García de la Noceda Montoya
1Centro de Salud de Chantrea, Pamplona.
Objective:
To determine the characteristics and reasons for consultation of the patient who over-uses on-demand general medical services.
Design:
A case-control study of a sample of over-user patients and a control group of normal users.
Setting:
The Chantrea Health Centre in Pamplona during 1991.
Patients And Other Participants:
An age and gender-stratified sample of 411 over user patients and a control group of normal users were selected.
Main Measurements And Results:
Over-users corresponded to 5% to those attending. We found no significant differences for gender, but we did for age (p < 0.001), regarding the control group; 84% of over-users had a chronic associated pathology. Comparatively, over-users made more bureaucratic and prescription visits (35%) and attended less scheduled appointments.
Conclusions:
The over-users is associated to being older and especially to having a chronic pathology and not attending scheduled appointments.