科研之友
微信
新浪微博
Facebook
分享链接
摘要
Aim: The aim of the study was to establish the scale and cost of ineffectively made consultations by self-referring patients across three North Wales primary care practices for %26apos;day-to-day%26apos; conditions. Background: Little evidence exists of the scale of ineffectively made day-to-day help-seeking by self-referral patients. Examination of this issue is compromised by the use of traditional language to describe help-seeking, which is subjective and of limited use. There is little understanding about help-seeking for day-to-day conditions. Most research on help-seeking behaviour has considered help-seeking for specific services; specific cohorts; or specific conditions, rather than help-seeking for day-to-day conditions. Method: A survey of all routine consultations made at four general practices in North Wales over a one-week period was conducted. Using objective definitional parameters classifying routine consultations as either effectively or ineffectively made, we measured the scale of ineffective help-seeking. General practitioners categorised consultations as either effective or ineffective. Ineffectively made consultations were categorised as follows: potentially avoidable; made with the wrong healthcare professional; or made at the wrong time. Findings: A total of 22 GPs made 1217 routine consultations for day-to-day symptoms, of which 24% were ineffectively made. Fifteen percent of consultations were potentially avoidable. Potentially avoidable consultations alone may be costing the NHS 87.85 pound million annually. The ineffective use of limited and scarce healthcare resources should be examined. Patient outcome may be potentially compromised directly by poor help-seeking decisions but also by ineffective use of resources.
- 出版日期2014-4
