Greater temporal regularity of primary care visits was associated with reduced hospitalizations and mortality, even after controlling for continuity of care.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Previous studies have shown that more temporally regular primary care visits are associated with improved patient outcomes.

Objective

To examine the association of temporal regularity (TR) of primary care with hospitalizations and mortality in patients with chronic illnesses. Also, to identify threshold values for TR for predicting outcomes.

Design

Retrospective cohort study.

Participants

We used data from the electronic health record of a health maintenance organization in Israel to study primary care visits of 70,095 patients age 40 + with one of three chronic conditions (diabetes mellitus, heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease).

Main measures

We calculated TR for each patient during a two-year period (2016-2017), and divided

SUBMITTER: Khazen M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10360299 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature