RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Enabling patient–physician continuity in Swedish primary care: the importance of a named GP. A registry-based observational study
JF BJGP Open
JO BJGP Open
FD Royal College of General Practitioners
SP BJGPO.2024.0118
DO 10.3399/BJGPO.2024.0118
VO 8
IS 4
A1 Ellegård, Lina Maria
A1 Anell, Anders
A1 Kjellsson, Gustav
YR 2024
UL http://bjgpopen.org/content/8/4/BJGPO.2024.0118.abstract
AB Background Continuity of care is important for patients with chronic conditions. Assigning patients to a named GP may increase continuity.Aim To examine whether patients who were registered with a named GP at the onset of their first chronic disease had higher continuity of care at subsequent visits than patients who were only registered at a practice.Design & setting Registry-based observational study in Skåne County, Sweden. The study population included 66 063 patients registered at the same practice at least 1 year before the onset of their first chronic condition between 2009 and 2015.Method We compared patients registered with a named GP with patients only registered at a practice over a 4-year follow-up period. The primary outcome was the usual provider of care (UPC) index for all visits and for visits related to the chronic disease. Secondary outcomes were the number of GP, nurse, and out-of-hours visits; emergency department visits; hospital admissions; and mortality. We used linear regression models, adjusted for patient characteristics (using entropy balancing weights) and for practice-level fixed effects, to compare the UPC between those registered with a named GP and those who were not.Results Patients with a named GP at onset of their condition had a UPC that was 3–4 percentage points higher than patients who did not have a named GP, but the difference decreased and was not statistically significant after adjusting for patient and practice characteristics. Patients with a named GP made more visits, although not specifically for the chronic condition. There were no statistically significant differences for the other outcomes.Conclusion Patient registration with a GP at diagnosis of their first chronic condition does not demonstrate higher continuity of care at subsequent GP visits and is not linked to other relevant outcomes for patients.