title: Anxiety symptoms and healthcare utilization among a sample of outpatients in an internal medicine clinic.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  In this study, we explored the role of anxiety symptoms (i.e., symptoms that would probably not fulfill DSM criteria) in relationship to healthcare utilization.
  
  
  METHODS
  We surveyed 117 outpatients in an internal medicine clinic regarding four types of anxiety symptoms (i.e., mixed anxiety features, generalized anxiety, obsessive-compulsive personality features, worry), and through a retrospective review of medical records, examined healthcare utilization patterns.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Nearly 28% of participants endorsed "positive" results on at least three of the anxiety-symptom measures. When examined for relationships to healthcare utilization, only obsessive-compulsive personality features demonstrated a significant relationship.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  While anxiety symptoms were common in this primary care sample, their impact on healthcare utilization was limited, in that only obsessive-compulsive personality features demonstrated a relationship.
authors.affiliation: Wright State University, Ohio and Kettering Medical Center, Ohio, USA. Randy.sansone@kmcnetwork.org
authors.forename: Randy A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Sansone
authors.forename: C Michael
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Hendricks
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sellbom
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Reddington
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000554:Ambulatory Care Facilities; D001007:Anxiety / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D003710:Demography; D005260:Female; D006296:Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009771:Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy; D011320:Primary Health Care; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires