title: Frequent Attenders with Chronic Respiratory Diseases in Primary Care Settings.
abstract: Governments struggle to fund health services and there is a growing interest in the cost, clinical characteristics, and interventions for high utilizers of care, such as persistent frequent attenders to primary care. The purpose of this study was to determine the components shaping the phenomenon of frequent attendance in patients with chronic respiratory diseases in primary care settings. We examined 200 adult patients with chronic diseases (median age 65, range 18-90) recruited from 126 general practitioners. We conclude that, in patients with chronic respiratory diseases, frequent attendance can be expected among those with a low level of satisfaction with their quality of health, a low level of QoL in the physical domain as much as QoL in the social relationships domain, making multiple visits to a doctor (more than 4 visits), taking more than five drugs, being treated for more than three chronic diseases, waiting at the doctor's office for no more than 30 min, receiving a greater number of primary care services, and requiring the assistance of a district nurse. Such patients may need social support interventions and monitoring of their clinical status.
authors: Department of Family Medicine, Wroclaw Medical University, 1 Syrokomli Street, 51-141, Wroclaw, Poland. dkurpas@hotmail.com.|Opole Medical School, 68 Katowicka Street, 45-060, Opole, Poland. dkurpas@hotmail.com.
authors: Donata
authors: D
authors: Kurpas
authors: Opole Medical School, 68 Katowicka Street, 45-060, Opole, Poland.|Independent Public Healthcare Center, Emergency Ward and Admissions, 2 Roosevelta Street, 47-200, Kędzierzyn-Koźle, Poland.
authors: Katarzyna
authors: K
authors: Szwamel
authors: Department of Humanities in Medicine, Pomeranian Medical University in Szczecin, 11 Gen. Chlapowskiego Street, 70-103, Szczecin, Poland.
authors: Bożena
authors: B
authors: Mroczek
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002908:Chronic Disease; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D005260:Female; D058005:General Practitioners / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009819:Office Visits / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012120:Respiration Disorders / Q000628:therapy*; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Chronic respiratory disease; General practice; Health expenditure; Health services; Healthcare; Needs assessment; Patient care; Quality of life