title: Effect of comorbidities and medications on frequency of primary care visits among older patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine if comorbidities and high-risk medications affect the frequency of family physician visits among older patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective chart review.
  
  
  METHODS
  Academic family health team at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto, Ont.
  
  
  METHODS
  Among patients aged 65 years and older who were registered patients of the family health team between July 1, 2013, and June 30, 2014, the 5% who visited their family physicians most frequently and the 5% who visited their family physicians least frequently were selected for the study (N = 265).
  
  
  METHODS
  Predictors of frequent visits to family physicians.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The significant predictors of being a high-frequency user were female sex (odds ratio [OR] = 2.20, P = .03), age older than 85 years (OR = 5.35, P = .001), and higher total number of medications (OR = 1.49, P < .001). Age-adjusted Charlson comorbidity index score, number of Beers criteria medications, and Anticholinergic Risk Scale score were not significant predictors (P > .05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Female sex, age older than 85, and higher total number of medications were independent significant predictors of higher frequency of family physician visits among older patients. Validated tools, such as the Charlson comorbidity index, Beers criteria, and Anticholinergic Risk Scale, did not independently predict the frequency of visits, indicating that predicting frequency of visits is likely complex.
authors.affiliation: Medical student, at the University of Toronto in Ontario. tina.hu@mail.utoronto.ca.
authors.forename: Tina
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.affiliation: Second-year family medicine resident, at the University of Toronto in Ontario.
authors.forename: Neil D
authors.initials: ND
authors.lastname: Dattani
authors.affiliation: Medical student, at the University of Toronto in Ontario.
authors.forename: Kelly Anne
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Cox
authors.affiliation: Research associate, in the Primary Care Research Unit with the Sunnybrook Academic Family Health Team in Toronto.
authors.forename: Bonnie
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Au
authors.affiliation: Research assistant, in the Primary Care Research Unit with the Sunnybrook Academic Family Health Team in Toronto.
authors.forename: Leo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: Emergency physician at Mount Sinai Hospital and Assistant Professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine at the University of Toronto.
authors.forename: Don
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Melady
authors.affiliation: Family physician at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and Associate Professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine at the University of Toronto.
authors.forename: Liisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Jaakkimainen
authors.affiliation: Family physician at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre.
authors.forename: Rahul
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Jain
authors.affiliation: Family physician at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and a research scientist in the Primary Care Research Unit with the Sunnybrook Academic Family Health Team.
authors.forename: Jocelyn
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Charles
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015897:Comorbidity; D005194:Family Practice / Q000458:organization & administration*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D057970:Inappropriate Prescribing / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D016017:Odds Ratio; D009819:Office Visits / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D009864:Ontario; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors