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

• Published in: International Journal of Circumpolar Health
• Main Authors: Mika T. Lehto, Timo Kauppila, Hannu Kautiainen, Ossi Rahkonen, Merja K. Laine, Kaisu Pitkälä
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Taylor & Francis Group 2024
• Subjects: Diagnosis; electronic health record; general practitioner; public health; primary health care; Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine; RC955-962; Arctic; Circumpolar Health; International Journal of Circumpolar Health
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1080/22423982.2024.2366034; https://doaj.org/article/1d005dd2652c44b5b220b5f843a56be9

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.