Anxiety symptoms and healthcare utilization among a sample of outpatients in an internal medicine clinic.
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.
Sansone
Randy A
RA
Wright State University, Ohio and Kettering Medical Center, Ohio, USA. Randy.sansone@kmcnetwork.org
Hendricks
C Michael
CM
Sellbom
Martin
M
Reddington
Anne
A
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