ArticlePloS one2013
A population-based nationwide cross-sectional study on preventive health services utilization in Portugal--what services (and frequencies) are deemed necessary by patients?
Article in PloS one, 2013. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers.
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Who cites it
14 citing papers in PubMed.
- The effect of a test ordering software intervention on the prescription of unnecessary laboratory tests - a randomized controlled trial.BMC medical informatics and decision making · 2017Trial
- Danish GP trainees' experiences of navigating patient expectations for non-indicated procedures or tests: a qualitative interview study.Scandinavian journal of primary health care · 2026Article
- Determinants of exclusive utilisation of scheduled and unscheduled primary care visits: a cross-sectional study in Portugal.BMC primary care · 2026Article
- Prevalence and determinants of community members utilizing preventive services offered by family physicians in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.Journal of family medicine and primary care · 2023Article
- Factors Associated with the Use of Fecal Immunochemical Tests and Colonoscopy in the INSEF Portuguese Population.Portuguese journal of public health · 2021Article
- Expectations about check-up examinations among Swiss residents: A nationwide population-based cross-sectional survey.PloS one · 2021Article
- The Problem-Solving Decision-Making scale-translation and validation for the Portuguese language: a cross-sectional study.BMJ open · 2020Article
- Translation and cultural adaptation of a prostate cancer screening decision aid: a qualitative study in Portugal.BMJ open · 2020Article
- The physical examination: a survey of patient preferences and expectations during primary care visits.Postgraduate medicine · 2020Article
- Article
- Quaternary prevention: reviewing the concept.The European journal of general practice · 2018Article
- Diagnostic and laboratory test ordering in Northern Portuguese Primary Health Care: a cross-sectional study.BMJ open · 2017Article
- Article
- Portuguese Family Physicians' Awareness of Diagnostic and Laboratory Test Costs: A Cross-Sectional Study.PloS one · 2015Article
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8 authors.
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Abstract
backgroundMost of the strategies to induce a more rational use of preventive health services are oriented to the medical side of the doctor-patient relationship. However, the consultation model has changed, and patients now have a more important role in medical consultation. The aim of this study was to assess which healthcare services are deemed necessary, and with what frequency, by adults from the general Portuguese population.
methods
designPopulation-based nationwide cross-sectional study Setting: Portuguese population Participants: One thousand Portuguese adults, surveyed by computer-assisted telephone interviewing and selected by a stratified cluster sampling design. MEASUREMENTS: Proportions and population prevalence estimates were determined for each healthcare service, taking into account whether respondents considered them necessary, and with what frequency.
resultsRespondent ages ranged between 18 and 97 years, and 520 of 1000 (52%) respondents were women. Among Portuguese adults, 99.2% (95% confidence interval (CI): 98.5 to 99.6) believe that they should undergo general routine blood and urine tests, to be repeated every 12.0 months on average (95% CI: 11.4 to 12.6); 87.4% (95% CI: 85.3 to 89.3) of the respondents reported having actually performed these tests. Of the 15 services surveyed, 14 were considered periodically necessary by more than 60% of respondents. Among the respondents, 37.7% (95% CI: 34.5 to 41.1) reported using healthcare services by their own initiative.
conclusionsThe majority of Portuguese adults believe that they should utilize a great number of healthcare services, on a nearly annual basis; most actually follow this schedule. Our findings indicate a tendency towards the overuse of resources. Adequate patient-oriented strategies regarding the use of medical tests and preventive interventions--with appropriate information and discussion of risks and harms--are urgently needed, and crucial for achieving a more rational use of healthcare services and for preventing the consequences of over-testing.
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