Symptomatic and non-symptomatic reasons for encounter in general practice.
A total of 10,278 consecutive doctor-patient contacts in general practice were classified as either caused by a symptom or complaint (symptomatic) or caused by other reasons (non-symptomatic) according to the Reason for Encounter Classification system (RFEC). Of all consultations and of all house-calls 61.5% and 91.7% respectively were classified as "symptomatic". Significant differences according to sex and type of problem were found between "symptomatic" and "non-symptomatic" consultations. Patients seeking advice for non-symptomatic reasons have other expectations and represent other challenges to the doctor than patients with symptoms and complaints. Knowledge of the distribution of "symptomatic" and "non-symptomatic" consultations is important for the understanding of the workload and utilization of general practice.
Department of General Practice, University of Oslo, Norway.
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Nylenna
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Bruusgaard
D005194:Family Practice; D006801:Humans; D009664:Norway; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D012017:Referral and Consultation; D012803:Sick Role