Frequent attenders in general practice: a study from Slovenia

Area of Science:

• General Practice
• Health Services Research
• Rural Health

Background:

• Understanding patient attendance patterns is crucial for optimizing primary care resource allocation.
• Frequent attenders at general practitioner (GP) surgeries represent a significant user group with potentially complex health needs.
• Previous research suggests variations in morbidity and healthcare utilization between frequent and infrequent attenders.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare frequent and infrequent general practitioner (GP) attenders in a rural Slovenian setting.
• To analyze differences in morbidity, types of GP contact, referral patterns, and prescription practices.
• To explore potential factors contributing to frequent attendance, such as doctor-patient relationships.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of a random sample of 623 patient records from a population-based register.
• Comparison of frequent attenders versus infrequent attenders based on predefined criteria.
• Data extraction on diagnoses, contact types, referrals, and prescribed medications.

Main Results:

• Frequent attenders exhibited a higher proportion of contacts related to malignant diseases, mental disorders, and gastrointestinal diseases.
• They were more likely to have 'superficial contacts' and be referred to specialists.
• Frequent attenders were less likely to receive psychotropic drugs but more likely to be prescribed antibiotics.

Conclusions:

• Significant differences in morbidity patterns exist between frequent and infrequent GP attenders.
• The high referral rate and frequent 'superficial contacts' among frequent attenders may suggest a strained doctor-patient relationship.
• These findings highlight the need for targeted interventions and improved communication strategies for frequent attenders in primary care.