Who visits primary health care general practitioners and why? A register-based study in a Finnish city

This is a register-based study that examines the distribution of diagnoses made by general practitioners (GPs) in the public primary health care of the city of Vantaa, Finland. Data were gathered from the electronic health record (EHR) system and consisted of every record entered into the EHR system...

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Main Authors: Mika T. Lehto, Timo Kauppila, Hannu Kautiainen, Ossi Rahkonen, Merja K. Laine, Kaisu Pitkälä
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Taylor & Francis Group 2024-12-01
Series:International Journal of Circumpolar Health
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Online Access:https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/22423982.2024.2366034
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author Mika T. Lehto
Timo Kauppila
Hannu Kautiainen
Ossi Rahkonen
Merja K. Laine
Kaisu Pitkälä
author_facet Mika T. Lehto
Timo Kauppila
Hannu Kautiainen
Ossi Rahkonen
Merja K. Laine
Kaisu Pitkälä
author_sort Mika T. Lehto
collection DOAJ
description This is a register-based study that examines the distribution of diagnoses made by general practitioners (GPs) in the public primary health care of the city of Vantaa, Finland. Data were gathered from the electronic health record (EHR) system and consisted of every record entered into the EHR system between 1 January 2016 and 31 December 2018. Both absolute numbers and relative proportions of the 10th edition of International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10) diagnosis recordings were reported and calculated. Among GP visits, the 88 most common diagnoses covered 75% of all diagnoses. The most common diagnoses were related to the musculoskeletal (3.8%, ICD code M54) and respiratory systems (6.0%, ICD-10 code J06). Primary health care GP services were mostly used by children (age <5 years) and older adults (>65 years). Health examinations – mostly children’s and maternity clinics appointments/visits – covered 20% of the GP office visits. Women between the ages 15–79 years had relatively more GP visits compared to men. The 88 most commonly recorded diagnoses covered the majority of the GP visits. Health examinations for the healthy were an important part of GPs’ work. In an urban Finnish city, GP services were predominantly used by children and older adults.
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language English
publishDate 2024-12-01
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series International Journal of Circumpolar Health
spelling doaj-art-1d005dd2652c44b5b220b5f843a56be92024-11-29T19:53:25ZengTaylor & Francis GroupInternational Journal of Circumpolar Health2242-39822024-12-0183110.1080/22423982.2024.2366034Who visits primary health care general practitioners and why? A register-based study in a Finnish cityMika T. Lehto0Timo Kauppila1Hannu Kautiainen2Ossi Rahkonen3Merja K. Laine4Kaisu Pitkälä5Department of General Practice and Primary Health Care, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, FinlandDepartment of General Practice and Primary Health Care, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, FinlandDepartment of General Practice and Primary Health Care, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, FinlandDepartment of Public Health, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, FinlandDepartment of General Practice and Primary Health Care, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, FinlandDepartment of General Practice and Primary Health Care, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, FinlandThis is a register-based study that examines the distribution of diagnoses made by general practitioners (GPs) in the public primary health care of the city of Vantaa, Finland. Data were gathered from the electronic health record (EHR) system and consisted of every record entered into the EHR system between 1 January 2016 and 31 December 2018. Both absolute numbers and relative proportions of the 10th edition of International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10) diagnosis recordings were reported and calculated. Among GP visits, the 88 most common diagnoses covered 75% of all diagnoses. The most common diagnoses were related to the musculoskeletal (3.8%, ICD code M54) and respiratory systems (6.0%, ICD-10 code J06). Primary health care GP services were mostly used by children (age <5 years) and older adults (>65 years). Health examinations – mostly children’s and maternity clinics appointments/visits – covered 20% of the GP office visits. Women between the ages 15–79 years had relatively more GP visits compared to men. The 88 most commonly recorded diagnoses covered the majority of the GP visits. Health examinations for the healthy were an important part of GPs’ work. In an urban Finnish city, GP services were predominantly used by children and older adults.https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/22423982.2024.2366034Diagnosiselectronic health recordgeneral practitionerpublic healthprimary health care
spellingShingle Mika T. Lehto
Timo Kauppila
Hannu Kautiainen
Ossi Rahkonen
Merja K. Laine
Kaisu Pitkälä
Who visits primary health care general practitioners and why? A register-based study in a Finnish city
International Journal of Circumpolar Health
Diagnosis
electronic health record
general practitioner
public health
primary health care
title Who visits primary health care general practitioners and why? A register-based study in a Finnish city
title_full Who visits primary health care general practitioners and why? A register-based study in a Finnish city
title_fullStr Who visits primary health care general practitioners and why? A register-based study in a Finnish city
title_full_unstemmed Who visits primary health care general practitioners and why? A register-based study in a Finnish city
title_short Who visits primary health care general practitioners and why? A register-based study in a Finnish city
title_sort who visits primary health care general practitioners and why a register based study in a finnish city
topic Diagnosis
electronic health record
general practitioner
public health
primary health care
url https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/22423982.2024.2366034
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