title: The Health Service Use of Frequent Users of Telephone Helplines in a Cohort of General Practice Attendees with Depressive Symptoms.
abstract: We examined the relationship between frequent use of telephone helplines and health service use over time in a cohort of 789 general practice attendees with depressive symptoms. Telephone helpline use (no use, non-frequent use, frequent use) was measured at 3, 6, 9 and 12 months and analysed using ordered logistic regression. Sixteen participants (2 %) reported frequent use of telephone helplines. Reporting frequent use was associated with visiting multiple general practitioners, using emergency services and visiting mental health specialists in the previous 3 months. Despite this pattern of service use, there was evidence that these services were not meeting the needs of frequent users of telephone helplines, as they were also more likely to report dissatisfaction with their access to health services compared to non-frequent and non-users of telephone helplines. Our findings suggest that a model of care which addresses the complex needs of frequent users of telephone helplines is needed.
authors.affiliation: Department of General Practice, Melbourne Medical School, The University of Melbourne, 200 Berkeley Street, Carlton, VIC, 3053, Australia. a.middleton@unimelb.edu.au.
authors.forename: Aves
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Middleton
authors.affiliation: Centre for Mental Health, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, The University of Melbourne, Carlton, VIC, Australia.
authors.forename: Jane
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pirkis
authors.affiliation: Department of General Practice, Melbourne Medical School, The University of Melbourne, 200 Berkeley Street, Carlton, VIC, 3053, Australia.
authors.forename: Patty
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Chondros
authors.affiliation: Centre for Mental Health, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, The University of Melbourne, Carlton, VIC, Australia.
authors.forename: Bridget
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Bassilios
authors.affiliation: Department of General Practice, Melbourne Medical School, The University of Melbourne, 200 Berkeley Street, Carlton, VIC, 3053, Australia.
authors.forename: Jane
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gunn
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003863:Depression; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D058006:General Practice; D006296:Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D015277:Hotlines / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008605:Mental Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008875:Middle Aged; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Depression; General practice; Health service use; Telephone helplines