Patients who do not receive continuity of care from their general practitioner--are they a vulnerable group?

K G Sweeney, D P Gray

Continuity of care is much valued by general practitioners but little is known about those patients who do not receive continuity of care. This study set out to identify and describe a group of patients who did not receive continuity of care from the general practitioner with whom they were personally registered. A total of 110 patients (71 female and 39 male) were identified, who did not receive continuity of care, defined as four consecutive face to face consultations which did not take place with the doctor with whom they were registered. This group was compared with an age and sex matched control group who did receive continuity of care, using general practice records, for demographic characteristics, morbidity, relationship problems, number of 'difficult' consultations, failure to attend appointments, and use of an accident and emergency department and of open access clinics. Patients in the study group were more likely to be under the age of 65 years than all patients on the doctor's list. Study patients were more likely than control patients to be in social class 4 or 5 living in a council house. Patients in the study group were more likely than controls to be depressed. Women patients in the study group were more likely to suffer from vaginal discharge. Men patients in the study group were more likely to complain of non-cardiac chest pain. The study group had more marital problems, parent-child relationship problems, and problems involving violence in the family, as well as other relationship problems. Relationship problems included the relationship with the doctor, since a third of all the consultations in the study group were recorded as 'difficult', compared with 3% in the control group. The study group patients were more likely than controls not to attend appointments which they had made, to use the accident and emergency department repeatedly, and to have used other open access clinics. Lack of continuity of care is associated with some additional morbidity, an increased number of relationship problems, 'difficult' consultations, and non-attendances, and an increase in the use of open access clinics. The characteristics of this group of patients represent a syndrome which merits further study.