Does setting up out of hours primary care cooperatives outside a hospital reduce demand for emergency care?
OBJECTIVE
To investigate whether the reorganisation of out of hours primary care, from practice rotas to GP cooperatives, changed utilisation of primary and hospital emergency care.


METHODS
During a four week period before and a four week period after the reorganisation of out of hours primary care in a region in the south of the Netherlands all patient contacts with general practitioners and hospital accident and emergency (A&E) departments were analysed.


RESULTS
A 10% increase was found in patient contacts with out of hours primary care, and a 9% decrease in patient contacts with out of hours emergency care. The number of self referrals at the A&E department was reduced by about 4%.


CONCLUSIONS
The reorganisation of out of hours primary care has led to a shift in patient contacts from emergency care to primary care.
van Uden
C J T
CJ
Department of Integrated Care, Research Institute Caphri, University Hospital Maastricht, Netherlands. caro.vanuden@hag.unimaas.nl <caro.vanuden@hag.unimaas.nl>
Crebolder
H F J M
HF
D039602:After-Hours Care / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005194:Family Practice / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D009426:Netherlands; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*