title: Cancer patients' use of primary care out-of-hours services: a cross-sectional study in Norway.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate how cancer patients in Norway use primary care out-of-hours (OOH) services and describe different contact types and procedures.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective cross-sectional registry study using a billing registry data source.
  
  
  METHODS
  Norwegian primary care OOH services in 2014.
  
  
  METHODS
  All patients' contacts in OOH services in 2014. Cancer patients were identified by ICPC-2 diagnosis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Frequency of cancer patients' contacts with OOH services, contact types, diagnoses, procedures, and socio-demographic characteristics.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In total, 5752 cancer patients had 20,220 contacts (1% of all) in OOH services. Half of the contacts were cancer related. Cancer in the digestive (22.9%) and respiratory (18.0%) systems were most frequent; and infection/fever (21.8%) and pain (13.6%) most frequent additional diagnoses. A total of 4170 patients had at least one cancer-related direct contact; of these, 64.5% had only one contact during the year. Cancer patients had more home visits and more physicians' contact with municipal nursing services than other patients, but fewer consultations (p < 0.001). Patients in the least central municipalities had significantly more contacts than more central municipalities (p < 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There was no indication of overuse of OOH services by cancer patients in Norway, which could indicate good quality of cancer care in general. KEY POINTS   Many are concerned about unnecessary use of emergency medical services for non-urgent conditions. • There was no indication of overuse of out-of-hours services by cancer patients in Norway. • Cancer patients had relatively more home visits, physician's contact with the municipal nursing service, and weekend contacts than other patients. • Cancer patients in the least central municipalities had relatively more contacts with out-of-hours services than those in more central municipalities.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Global Public Health and Primary Care , Centre for Elderly and Nursing Home Medicine, University of Bergen , Bergen , Norway ;
authors.forename: Camilla Kjellstadli
authors.initials: CK
authors.lastname: Thoresen
authors.affiliation: b National Centre for Emergency Primary Health Care , Uni Research Health , Bergen , Norway ;
authors.forename: Hogne
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sandvik
authors.affiliation: b National Centre for Emergency Primary Health Care , Uni Research Health , Bergen , Norway ;|c Department of Global Public Health and Primary Care , Research Group for General Practice, University of Bergen , Bergen , Norway.
authors.forename: Steinar
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hunskaar
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D039602:After-Hours Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003955:Diagnostic Tests, Routine / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004632:Emergency Medical Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006792:House Calls / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D038801:International Classification of Diseases; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000145:classification / Q000628:therapy*; D009664:Norway; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012042:Registries; D012044:Regression Analysis; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: After hours care; Norway; cancer; emergency medicine; family practice; general practice; primary health care; primary out-of-hours care