RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Follow-up After Telephone Consultations at Out-of-Hours Primary Care
JF The Journal of the American Board of Family
                Medicine
JO J Am Board Fam Med
FD American Board of Family Medicine
SP 373
OP 379
DO 10.3122/jabfm.2013.04.120185
VO 26
IS 4
A1 Linda Huibers
A1 Jan Koetsenruijter
A1 Richard Grol
A1 Paul Giesen
A1 Michel Wensing
YR 2013
UL http://www.jabfm.org/content/26/4/373.abstract
AB Background: After a contact with a primary care physician (PCP) cooperative for out-of-hours care, many patients have subsequent contact with health care. Little is known about the factors associated with these follow-up contacts. The objective of this study was to examine whether patient experiences with nurse telephone consultations and the cooperative's organizational characteristics were associated with the probability of follow-up contact. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study of patients attending 16 Dutch PCP cooperatives (2009 to 2011) using a validated questionnaire to measure patient experiences with nurse telephone consultations and patient-reported follow-up. Participating cooperatives provided information on 12 organizational characteristics. Multilevel regression modeling was used to identify associations. Results: A total of 7039 patients returned a questionnaire (50.4%), of which 5678 were complete. About half of patients reported a follow-up contact (47%). Regression analyses showed increasing probability of follow-up contact in patients with higher age (≥65 years; odds ratio [OR], 2.39), patients receiving a home visit (OR, 1.32), and cooperatives with a higher percentage of telephone consultations (OR, 1.02) and a decreased probability among patients with more positive experiences with a nurse via telephone contact (OR, 0.68). Conclusion: Although follow-up contacts can be medically required, a substantial number of contacts seem to be not required and thus are potentially avoidable (eg, by changes in work routine and communication).