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Is continuity of primary care declining in England? Practice-level longitudinal study from 2012 to 2017

BACKGROUND: Continuity of care is a core principle of primary care related to improved patient outcomes and reduced healthcare costs. Evidence suggests continuity of care in England is declining. AIM: To confirm reports of declining continuity of care, explore differences in decline according to pra...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: Tammes, Peter, Morris, Richard W, Murphy, Mairead, Salisbury, Chris
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: Royal College of General Practitioners 2021
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8103927/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/33947666
http://dx.doi.org/10.3399/BJGP.2020.0935
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author Tammes, Peter
Morris, Richard W
Murphy, Mairead
Salisbury, Chris
author_facet Tammes, Peter
Morris, Richard W
Murphy, Mairead
Salisbury, Chris
author_sort Tammes, Peter
collection PubMed
description BACKGROUND: Continuity of care is a core principle of primary care related to improved patient outcomes and reduced healthcare costs. Evidence suggests continuity of care in England is declining. AIM: To confirm reports of declining continuity of care, explore differences in decline according to practice characteristics, and examine associations between practice populations or appointment provision and changes in continuity of care. DESIGN AND SETTING: Longitudinal design on GP Patient Survey data reported annually in June or July from 2012 to 2017, whereby the unit of analysis was English general practices that existed in 2012. METHOD: Linear univariable and bivariable multilevel models were used to determine decline in average annual percentage of patients having a preferred GP and seeing this GP ‘usually’ according to practicelevel continuity of care, rural/urban location, and deprivation. Associations between percentage of patients having a preferred GP or seeing this GP usually and patients’ experiences with the appointment system and practice population characteristics were modelled. RESULTS: In 2012, 56.7% of patients had a preferred GP, which had declined by 9.4 percentage points (pp) (95% CI = −9.6 to −9.2) by 2017. Of patients with a preferred GP, 66.4% saw that GP ‘usually’ in 2012; this had declined by 9.7 pp (95% CI = −10.0 to −9.4) by 2017. This decline was visible in all types of practices, irrespective of baseline continuity, rural/urban location, or level of deprivation. At practice level, an increase over time in the percentage of patients reporting good overall experience of making appointments was associated with an increase in both the percentage of patients having a preferred GP and those able to see that GP ‘usually’. CONCLUSION: Patients reported a steady decline in continuity of care over time, which should concern clinicians and policymakers. Ability of practices to offer patients a satisfactory appointment system could partly counteract this decline.
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spelling pubmed-81039272021-05-12 Is continuity of primary care declining in England? Practice-level longitudinal study from 2012 to 2017 Tammes, Peter Morris, Richard W Murphy, Mairead Salisbury, Chris Br J Gen Pract Research BACKGROUND: Continuity of care is a core principle of primary care related to improved patient outcomes and reduced healthcare costs. Evidence suggests continuity of care in England is declining. AIM: To confirm reports of declining continuity of care, explore differences in decline according to practice characteristics, and examine associations between practice populations or appointment provision and changes in continuity of care. DESIGN AND SETTING: Longitudinal design on GP Patient Survey data reported annually in June or July from 2012 to 2017, whereby the unit of analysis was English general practices that existed in 2012. METHOD: Linear univariable and bivariable multilevel models were used to determine decline in average annual percentage of patients having a preferred GP and seeing this GP ‘usually’ according to practicelevel continuity of care, rural/urban location, and deprivation. Associations between percentage of patients having a preferred GP or seeing this GP usually and patients’ experiences with the appointment system and practice population characteristics were modelled. RESULTS: In 2012, 56.7% of patients had a preferred GP, which had declined by 9.4 percentage points (pp) (95% CI = −9.6 to −9.2) by 2017. Of patients with a preferred GP, 66.4% saw that GP ‘usually’ in 2012; this had declined by 9.7 pp (95% CI = −10.0 to −9.4) by 2017. This decline was visible in all types of practices, irrespective of baseline continuity, rural/urban location, or level of deprivation. At practice level, an increase over time in the percentage of patients reporting good overall experience of making appointments was associated with an increase in both the percentage of patients having a preferred GP and those able to see that GP ‘usually’. CONCLUSION: Patients reported a steady decline in continuity of care over time, which should concern clinicians and policymakers. Ability of practices to offer patients a satisfactory appointment system could partly counteract this decline. Royal College of General Practitioners 2021-05-05 /pmc/articles/PMC8103927/ /pubmed/33947666 http://dx.doi.org/10.3399/BJGP.2020.0935 Text en © The Authors https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/This article is Open Access: CC BY 4.0 licence (http://creativecommons.org/licences/by/4.0/ (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) ).
spellingShingle Research
Tammes, Peter
Morris, Richard W
Murphy, Mairead
Salisbury, Chris
Is continuity of primary care declining in England? Practice-level longitudinal study from 2012 to 2017
title Is continuity of primary care declining in England? Practice-level longitudinal study from 2012 to 2017
title_full Is continuity of primary care declining in England? Practice-level longitudinal study from 2012 to 2017
title_fullStr Is continuity of primary care declining in England? Practice-level longitudinal study from 2012 to 2017
title_full_unstemmed Is continuity of primary care declining in England? Practice-level longitudinal study from 2012 to 2017
title_short Is continuity of primary care declining in England? Practice-level longitudinal study from 2012 to 2017
title_sort is continuity of primary care declining in england? practice-level longitudinal study from 2012 to 2017
topic Research
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8103927/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/33947666
http://dx.doi.org/10.3399/BJGP.2020.0935
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