Phenomena that underpin frequent attendance need clarification

BMJ 1996;313:1085 (26 October)

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Phenomena that underpin frequent attendance need clarification

EDITOR,--Paul Aylin and colleagues' found that 1.3% of patientsaccounted for almost 40% of all home visits in their study.¹We performed a similar analysis using data from a validateddataset consisting of a date record of all contacts with fourpractices in and around Leeds in 1992, 1993, and 1994.² Whilein general we found a correlation between consultations in thesurgery and home visits--for example, patients who seldom attendedthe surgery were visited infrequently--this was not true amongthe 1 in 50 patients who received frequent home visits. Combineddata from the four practices showed a visiting rate of 428 visits/1000patient years. In 1992, 1993, and 1994, 13.1%, 13.8%, and 13.0%of all contacts, respectively, were visits and 2.2%, 2.3%, and2.3% of patients (those with five or more visits in the year)accounted for 49.3%, 47.6%, and 48.6% of all visits. These figuresare higher than . . . [Full text of this article]

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Relevant Article

Home visiting by general practitioners in England and Wales: Paul Aylin, F Azeem Majeed, and Derek G Cook
BMJ 1996 313: 207-210. [Abstract] [Full Text]