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Do Irish general practitioners know how often their patients consult?

N Maguire1, J Clarke

  • 1Summerhill Health Centre, Co. Meath.

Irish Medical Journal
|November 1, 1996
PubMed
Summary

This study examined how accurately general practitioners (GPs) can estimate how often their patients visit the clinic. Researchers asked nine GPs to estimate the consultation rates of 889 patients and compared these estimates with actual records. They found that 34% of the estimates were exact and that 105 out of 118 high-frequency attenders were correctly identified. The study suggests that GPs have moderate accuracy in estimating consultation rates, which may help identify patients with unmet medical needs. The findings indicate that provider awareness of patient behavior patterns is limited but can still be useful for care planning.

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Area of Science:

  • Primary care medicine
  • Health services research
  • Patient behavior analysis

Background:

Understanding patient behavior is essential in primary care settings. Prior research has shown that frequent consultations may indicate unmet medical needs. However, the extent to which healthcare providers can accurately assess patient consultation rates remains unclear. No prior work had resolved how well general practitioners (GPs) can estimate their patients' consultation frequencies. This gap motivated a study to evaluate the accuracy of GPs' estimations. Existing literature suggests that patient consultation rates can serve as indicators of health needs. Yet, the reliability of these estimations by providers is uncertain. This uncertainty is important for improving healthcare delivery and identifying at-risk patient groups. The study aimed to bridge this knowledge gap by examining GP estimation accuracy.

Purpose Of The Study:

The purpose of the study was to assess the accuracy of GPs in estimating their patients' consultation rates. Researchers wanted to determine whether GPs could reliably identify patients with high consultation frequencies. This problem is significant for understanding provider awareness of patient behavior patterns. The motivation stems from the need to improve patient care through better provider insight. High consultation rates may signal unmet medical needs, so accurate estimation is crucial for effective care planning. The study sought to address whether single-handed GPs could detect these patterns. This investigation has implications for healthcare resource allocation and patient monitoring. The aim was to provide evidence on provider awareness of patient consultation behaviors.

Keywords:
patient consultation ratesGP accuracyprimary care researchhealthcare provider perception

Frequently Asked Questions

The study found that GPs estimated consultation rates exactly in 34% of cases and detected 105 out of 118 high-frequency attenders.

Researchers compared GPs' estimates with actual consultation records from the preceding year and calculated the percentage of exact matches.

High-frequency attenders may indicate unmet medical needs, which can inform better care planning and resource allocation.

Thirteen out of 118 high-frequency attenders were not detected by the GPs.

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Main Methods:

The study involved nine general practitioners who estimated the consultation rates of 889 patients. Researchers compared these estimates with actual consultation records from the preceding year. The analysis focused on the accuracy of the GPs' estimations and their ability to detect high-frequency attenders. Data collection was based on medical records and provider assessments. The study design was observational and retrospective in nature. Researchers calculated the percentage of exact estimates and identified undetected high-frequency attenders. The methodology included statistical analysis of estimation accuracy. The approach allowed for an evaluation of provider perception of patient behavior patterns.

Main Results:

The study found that GPs estimated consultation rates exactly in 34% of cases. Out of 118 high-frequency attenders, 13 were not detected by the GPs. This result suggests that providers have a moderate level of accuracy in estimating patient behavior. The data indicate that most high-frequency attenders were correctly identified. The results highlight the potential of consultation rates as markers for unmet medical needs. The findings suggest that provider awareness of patient consultation patterns is limited but not negligible. The study also revealed that a majority of high-frequency attenders were recognized by GPs. These results provide insight into provider perception and its implications for patient care.

Conclusions:

The authors concluded that single-handed GPs are aware of patient consultation rates to some extent. They emphasized that consultation rates serve as markers for unmet medical needs. The study suggests that providers can detect most high-frequency attenders. However, the accuracy of these estimations is not perfect. The findings indicate that provider awareness is sufficient for identifying significant patient behavior patterns. The authors did not propose new directions or generalizations beyond these observations. The conclusions are based on the study's results and do not extend beyond the data presented. The study provides evidence on provider perception of patient consultation rates.

Failed At:

2026-07-14T07:45:03.826704+00:00

The study suggests that GPs have moderate accuracy in estimating consultation rates and can detect most high-frequency attenders.

The findings suggest that provider awareness of consultation rates can help identify patients with unmet medical needs.