Comparison of the Complexity of Patients Seen by Different Medical Subspecialists in a Universal Health Care System.

ABSTRACT:

Importance

Clinical experience suggests that there are substantial differences in patient complexity across medical specialties, but empirical data are lacking.

Objective

To compare the complexity of patients seen by different types of physician in a universal health care system.

Design, setting, and participants

Population-based retrospective cohort study of 2 597 127 residents of the Canadian province of Alberta aged 18 years and older with at least 1 physician visit between April 1, 2014 and March 31, 2015. Data were analyzed in September 2018.

Exposures

Type of physician seeing each patient (family physician, general internist, or 11 types of medical subspecialist) assessed as non-mutually exclusive categories.

Main outcomes and measures

Nine markers

SUBMITTER: Tonelli M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6324421 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature