ArticleBMC health services research2008
Seasonality of primary care utilization for respiratory diseases in Ontario: a time-series analysis.
Article in BMC health services research, 2008. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 27 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
27 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 62 citations in OpenAlex.
- Clinical, humanistic, and economic burden of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in Canada: a systematic review.BMC research notes · 2015Pooled it
- Trial
- Mixed-methods evaluation and enhancement of Peel Public Health's heat-related illness emergency department visit surveillance system, 2018-2024.Canada communicable disease report = Releve des maladies transmissibles au Canada · 2026Article
- The Complexity of Immunoglobulin A Immune Responses in Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infection.Viruses · 2026Review
- Referral Conundrum: Wait Times for Subspecialists Versus Comprehensive Otolaryngologists in the United States.Cureus · 2025Article
- Medical deserts in Finland: measuring the accessibility and availability of primary health care services.BMC health services research · 2025Article
- Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on People Living With Rare Diseases and Their Families: Results of a National Survey.JMIR public health and surveillance · 2024Article
- Seasonal variations in respiratory morbidity in primary care and its correlation with the quality of air in urban Odisha, India.PLOS global public health · 2024Article
- Efficacy of nirsevimab against respiratory syncytial virus lower respiratory tract infections in preterm and term infants, and pharmacokinetic extrapolation to infants with congenital heart disease and chronic lung disease: a pooled analysis of randomised controlled trials.The Lancet. Child & adolescent health · 2023Article
- Evaluating the Increased Burden of Cardiorespiratory Illness Visits to Adult Emergency Departments During Flu and Bronchiolitis Outbreaks in the Pediatric Population: Retrospective Multicentric Time Series Analysis.JMIR public health and surveillance · 2022Article
- A Brief Overview of Potential Treatments for Viral Diseases Using Natural Plant Compounds: The Case of SARS-Cov.Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) · 2021Review
- Changes in the top 25 reasons for primary care visits during the COVID-19 pandemic in a high-COVID region of Canada.PloS one · 2021Article
- Trends and seasonal variation of hospitalization and mortality of interstitial lung disease in the United States from 2006 to 2016.Respiratory research · 2020Article
- Pediatric Healthcare Utilization in a Large Cohort of Refugee Children Entering Western Europe During the Migrant Crisis.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2019Article
- Mechanical ventilation patterns and trends over 20 years in an Israeli hospital system: policy ramifications.Israel journal of health policy research · 2019Article
- Estimating the burden on general practitioner services in England from increases in respiratory disease associated with seasonal respiratory pathogen activity.Epidemiology and infection · 2018Article
- Ambient air pollution and emergency department visits for asthma in Erie County, New York 2007-2012.International archives of occupational and environmental health · 2018Article
- [Lower respiratory tract infection caused by influenza virus A and influenza virus B in Wenzhou, China: a clinical analysis of 366 children].Zhongguo dang dai er ke za zhi = Chinese journal of contemporary pediatrics · 2016Article
- The causes and consequences of seasonal variation in COPD exacerbations.International journal of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease · 2014Review
- Patterns of disease presentation and management in Egyptian primary care: findings from a survey of 2458 primary care patient consultations.BMC family practice · 2013Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundRespiratory diseases represent a significant burden in primary care. Determining the temporal variation of the overall burden of respiratory diseases on the health care system and their potential causes are keys to understanding disease dynamics in populations and can contribute to the rational management of health care resources.
methodsA retrospective, cross-sectional time series analysis was used to assess the presence and strength of seasonal and temporal patterns in primary care visits for respiratory diseases in Ontario, Canada, for a 10-year period from January 1, 1992 to December 31, 2002. Data were extracted from the Ontario Health Insurance Plan database for people who had diagnosis codes for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, pneumonia, or upper respiratory tract infections.
resultsThe results illustrate a clear seasonal pattern in visits to primary care physicians for all respiratory conditions, with a threefold increase in visits during the winter. Age and sex-specific rates show marked increases in visits of young children and in female adults. Multivariate time series methods quantified the interactions among primary care visits, and Granger causality criterion test showed that the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and influenza virus influenced asthma (p = 0.0060), COPD (p = 0.0038), pneumonia (p = 0.0001), and respiratory diseases (p = 0.0001).
conclusionPrimary care visits for respiratory diseases have clear predictable seasonal patterns, driven primarily by viral circulations. Winter visits are threefold higher than summer troughs, indicating a short-term surge on primary health service demands. These findings can aid in effective allocation of resources and services based on seasonal and specific population demands.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.