Continuity in general practice and hospitalization patterns: an observational study.
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ABSTRACT: Background
High continuity of care is a key feature of strong general practice. This study aimed to assess the effect of a programme for enhancing strong general practice care on the continuity of care in Germany. The second aim was to assess the effect of continuity of care on hospitalization patterns.Methods
We performed an observational study in Germany, involving patients who received a strong general practice care programme (n=1.037.075) and patients who did not receive this programme (n=723.127) in the year 2017. We extracted data from a health insurance database. The cohorts were compared with respect to three measures of continuity of care (Usual Provider Index, Herfindahl Index, and the Sequential Continuity Index), adjusted for patient characteristics. The effects of continuity in general practice on the rates of hospitalization, rehospitalization, and avoidable hospitalization were examined in multiple regression analyses.Results
Compared to the control cohort, continuity in general practice was higher in patients who received the programme (continuity measures were 12.47 to 23.76% higher, PConclusionHigher continuity of care may be one of the mechanisms underlying lower hospitalization rates in patients who received strong general practice care, but further research is needed to examine the causality underlying the associations.
SUBMITTER: Wensing M
PROVIDER: S-EPMC7809859 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jan
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Publications
Continuity in general practice and hospitalization patterns: an observational study.
Wensing Michel M Szecsenyi Joachim J Laux Gunter G
BMC family practice 20210114 1
<h4>Background</h4>High continuity of care is a key feature of strong general practice. This study aimed to assess the effect of a programme for enhancing strong general practice care on the continuity of care in Germany. The second aim was to assess the effect of continuity of care on hospitalization patterns.<h4>Methods</h4>We performed an observational study in Germany, involving patients who received a strong general practice care programme (n=1.037.075) and patients who did not receive this ...[more]
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Project description:The main aim of the study was to investigate how many and what kind of problems patients present in consultations with their general practitioner (GP). A secondary aim was to explore patients' views on what is important in consultations.Cross-sectional study including observation of unselected consultations with recording on a pre-designed scheme, and a brief questionnaire filled in by patients.Four general practices in Oslo, Norway.A total of 201 patients in consultations and 177 patients waiting to see their GP.Number and characteristics of problems raised by patients, and whether the problems were handled by GPs during the ongoing consultation. Patients' expectations for the consultation.The mean number of problems raised was 2.6 (range 1-16), and when appointments for acute conditions were excluded, the mean number was 3.3. Somatic problems comprised about half of all problems, and in more than one-quarter of consultations a mental health issue was presented. Female sex and increasing age predicted an increasing number of problems raised. In one-quarter of encounters four or more problems were presented. The vast majority of problems were dealt with by the GPs during the ongoing consultation. "That I am able to address all the problems I have" was rated as highly important by patients.GPs deal with multiple and unrelated problems in daily consultations, which is highly valued by patients. Management of concurrent problems in brief encounters demands training and adequate working conditions, in order to sustain this core value of general practice.
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Project description:BackgroundPersonal continuity is a core value for family practice, but policy and performance targets emphasise other aspects of care, particularly waiting times for consultation. This study examined patient and general practitioner (GP) perceptions of the value of personal continuity and rapid access, and the relationship between them.MethodsQualitative analysis of semi-structured interviews with a purposive sample of 16 GPs and 32 patients in the Lothian region of Scotland, to identify whether, how, why and in which circumstances personal continuity and rapid access were valued.ResultsFrom the patients' perspective, what mattered was 'access to appropriate care' depending on the problem to be dealt with. For a few patients, rapid access was the only priority. For most, rapid access was balanced against greater involvement in the consultation when seeing 'their' trusted doctor, which was particularly valued for chronic, complex and emotional problems. GPs focused on the value of personal continuity in the consultation for improving the diagnosis and management of the same kinds of problem. GPs did not perceive enabling access to be a core part of their work. There was little evidence that GPs routinely discussed with patients when or how personal continuity and access should be balanced.Conclusion'Access to appropriate care' from the patients' perspective is not fully addressed by GPs' focus on personal continuity, nor by performance targets focused only on speed of access. GPs need to make enabling access as much a part of their core values as personal continuity, and access targets need to be based on less simplistic measures that account for the appropriateness of care as well as speed of access.
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Project description:BackgroundBurnout results from excessive demands at work. Caregivers suffering from burnout show a state of emotional exhaustion, leading them to distance themselves from their patients and to become less efficient in their work. While some studies have shown a negative impact of burnout on physicians' clinical reasoning, others have failed to demonstrate any such impacts. To better understand the link between clinical reasoning and burnout, we carried out a study looking for an association between burnout and clinical reasoning in a population of general practice residents.MethodsWe conducted a cross-sectional observational study among residents in general practice in 2017 and 2019. Clinical reasoning performance was assessed using a script concordance test (SCT). The Maslach Burnout Inventory for Human Services Survey (MBI-HSS) was used to determine burnout status in both original standards of Maslach's burnout inventory manual (conventional approach) and when individuals reported high emotional exhaustion in combination with high depersonalization or low personal accomplishment compared to a norm group ("emotional exhaustion +1" approach).ResultsOne hundred ninety-nine residents were included. The participants' mean SCT score was 76.44% (95% CI: 75.77-77.10). In the conventional approach, 126 residents (63.31%) had no burnout, 37 (18.59%) had mild burnout, 23 (11.56%) had moderate burnout, and 13 (6.53%) had severe burnout. In the "exhaustion + 1" approach, 38 residents had a burnout status (19.10%). We found no significant correlation between burnout status and SCT scores either for conventional or "exhaustion + 1" approaches.ConclusionsOur data seem to indicate that burnout status has no significant impact on clinical reasoning. However, one speculation is that SCT mostly examines the clinical reasoning process's analytical dimension, whereas emotions are conventionally associated with the intuitive dimension. We think future research might aim to explore the impact of burnout on intuitive clinical reasoning processes.
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Project description:Objective Emergence from anesthesia starts from the limbic structures and then spreads outwards to brainstem, reticular activating systems, and then to the cortex. Epilepsy surgery often involves resection of limbic structures and hence may disrupt the pattern of emergence. The aim of this study was to explore the pattern of emergence from anesthesia following epilepsy surgery and to determine associated variables affecting the emergence pattern. Setting and Design Tertiary care center, prospective observational study. Materials and Methods We conducted a prospective observation pilot study on adult patients undergoing anterior temporal lobectomy and amygdalohippocampectomy for epilepsy. Anesthesia management was standardized in all patients, and they were allowed to wake up with "no touch" technique. Primary outcome of the study was the pattern of emergence (normal emergence, agitated emergence, or slow emergence) from anesthesia. Secondary outcomes were to explore the differences in preoperative neuropsychological profile and limbic structure volumes between the different patterns of emergence. Quantitative variables were analyzed using Student's t -test. Qualitative variables were analyzed using chi-square test. Results Twenty-nine patients completed the study: 9 patients (31%) had agitated emergence, and 20 patients had normal emergence. Among the agitated emergence, 2 patients had Riker scale of 7 indicating violent emergence. Patient demographics, anesthetic used, neuropsychological profile, and limbic structure volumes were similar between normal emergence and agitated emergence groups. However, two patients who had severe agitation (Riker scale of 7) had the lowest intelligence quotient. Conclusion Our pilot study showed that emergence agitation is not uncommon in patients undergoing epilepsy surgery. However, due to smaller sample size, the role of preoperative neuropsychologic profile and hippocampal volumes in predicting the pattern of emergence is inconclusive.
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Project description:ObjectivesTo compare patients' enablement and satisfaction after teaching and non-teaching consultations. To explore patients' views about the possible impact that increased community based teaching of student doctors in their practice may have on the delivery of service and their attitudes towards direct involvement with students.DesignObservational study using validated survey instruments (patient enablement index--PEI, and consultation satisfaction questionnaire--CSQ) administered after teaching consultations and non-teaching consultations. Ten focus groups (two from each practice), comprising five with patients participating in prearranged teaching sessions and five with patients not participating in these.SettingFive general practices in west Suffolk and southern Norfolk, England, that teach student doctors on the Cambridge graduate medical course.Participants240 patients attending teaching consultations (response rate 82%, 196 patients) and 409 patients attending non-teaching consultations (response rate 72%, 294 patients) received survey instruments. Ten focus groups with a total of 34 patients participating in prearranged teaching sessions and 20 patients not participating in these.Main outcome measuresScores on the patient enablement index and consultation satisfaction questionnaire, analysed at the level of all patients, allowing for age, sex, general practitioner, and practice, and at the level of the individual general practitioner teacher. Qualitative analysis of focus group data.ResultsPatients' enablement or satisfaction was not reduced after teaching consultations compared with non-teaching consultations (mean difference in scores on the patient enablement index and consultation satisfaction questionnaire with adjustment for confounders 2.24% and 1.70%, respectively). This held true for analysis by all patients and by general practitioner teacher. Qualitative data showed that patients generally supported the teaching of student doctors in their practice. However, this support was conditional on receiving sufficient information about reasons for doctors' absence, the characteristics of students, and the nature of teaching planned. Many patients viewed their general practice as different from hospital and expected greater control over students' presence during their consultations.ConclusionsPatients' enablement and satisfaction are not impaired by students' participation in consultations. Patients generally support the teaching of student doctors in their general practice but expect to be provided with sufficient information and to have a choice about participation, so they can give informed consent. Recognising this when organising general practice based teaching is important.
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