How does general practitioner discontinuity affect healthcare utilisation? An observational cohort study of 2.4 million Norwegians 2007-2017.

ABSTRACT:

Objectives

Patients may benefit from continuity of care by a personal physician general practitioner (GP), but there are few studies on consequences of a break in continuity of GP. Investigate how a sudden discontinuity of GP care affects their list patients' regular GP consultations, out-of-hours consultations and acute hospital admissions, including admissions for ambulatory care sensitive conditions (ACSC).

Design

Cohort study linking person-level national register data on use of health services and GP affiliation with data on GP activity and GP characteristics.

Setting

Primary care.

Participants

2 409 409 Norwegians assigned to the patient lists of 2560 regular GPs who, after 12 months of stable practice, had a sudden discontinuity of practice lasting two o

SUBMITTER: Skarshaug LJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7888374 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature