The influence of general practitioners on access points to health care in a system without gatekeeping: a cross-sectional study in the context of the QUALICOPC project in Austria.

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  • Additional Information
    • Source:
      Publisher: Medicinska Naklada Country of Publication: Croatia NLM ID: 9424324 Publication Model: Print Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1332-8166 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 03539504 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Croat Med J Subsets: MEDLINE
    • Publication Information:
      Publication: 2001- : Zagreb : Medicinska Naklada
      Original Publication: Zagreb : University of Zagreb Medical School, [1992-
    • Subject Terms:
      Emergency Service, Hospital/*statistics & numerical data ; Gatekeeping/*organization & administration ; General Practitioners/*organization & administration ; Health Services Accessibility/*organization & administration ; Patient-Centered Care/*organization & administration ; Specialization/*statistics & numerical data; Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Austria ; Chronic Disease ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Female ; Health Status ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Primary Health Care ; Referral and Consultation ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Young Adult
    • Abstract:
      Aim: To assess the rates of specialist visits and visits to hospital emergency departments (ED) among patients in Austria with and without concurrent general practitioner (GP) consultation and among patients with and without chronic disease.
      Methods: The cross-sectional questionnaire study was conducted in the context of the QUALICOPC project in 2012. Fieldworkers recruited 1596 consecutive patients in 184 GP offices across Austria. The 41-question survey addressed patients' experiences with regard to access to, coordination, and continuity of primary care, as well demographics and health status. Descriptive statistics as well as univariate and multivariate regression models were applied.
      Results: More than 90% of patients identified a GP as a primary source of care. Among all patients, 85.5% reported having visited a specialist and 26.4% the ED at least once in the previous year. Having a usual GP did not change the rate of specialist visits. Additionally, patients with chronic disease had a higher likelihood of presenting to the ED despite having a GP as a usual source of care.
      Conclusion: Visiting specialists in Austria is quite common, and the simple presence of a GP as a usual source of care is insufficient to regulate pathways within the health care system. This can be particularly difficult for chronic care patients who often require care at different levels of the system and show higher frequency of ED presentations.
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    • Publication Date:
      Date Created: 20190905 Date Completed: 20191219 Latest Revision: 20231013
    • Publication Date:
      20240105
    • Accession Number:
      PMC6734571
    • Accession Number:
      31483117