The status of unscheduled care in primary care: A prospective descriptive study in the Vexin
Type de matériel :
51
Introduction: In France, unscheduled care is studied exclusively through the lens of emergency room visits. Purpose of the research: This study aims to quantify unscheduled care in a given French region, and to include outpatient care in the equation. Methods: Looking at the geographical area served by a specific Communauté professionnelle territoriale de santé (CPTS) (Regional Health Professional Community), unscheduled care was explored for general practitioners (GPs), nurses, pharmacists, physiotherapists, osteopaths, midwives, and the emergency department of the local hospital. For the purposes of the survey, unscheduled care was defined as a consultation that was not scheduled on the healthcare professional’s calendar the day before the appointment took place; or as a new problem raised during an appointment previously scheduled for one or more other health problems. Prescribed or referred care was excluded from the survey. Results: In relation to the number of patients in the area under study, unscheduled care was provided by general practitioners (41%), pharmacies (20%), nurses (15%), emergency services (11%), physiotherapists (5%), osteopaths (4%), and midwives (4%). More than 80% of the patients studied received advice on an outpatient basis. In the vast majority of cases, unscheduled care was managed by the professional who served as the first point of contact. Only 8.5% of referrals were made to the local hospital, representing 1.2% of all unscheduled care provided. Conclusions: Outpatient professionals constitute a local network capable of handling the majority of unscheduled care requests. Greater cooperation between them would increase the quality and coverage of unscheduled care needs.
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