Observational studyBMC family practice2017
Association of general psychological factors with frequent attendance in primary care: a population-based cross-sectional observational study.
Observational study in BMC family practice, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 19 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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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
19 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Profile of European frequent attenders in primary health care: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Family practice · 2025Pooled it
- Determinants of Frequent Attendance in Primary Care. A Systematic Review of Longitudinal Studies.Frontiers in medicine · 2021Pooled it
- Severe mental illness and health service utilisation for nonpsychiatric medical disorders: A systematic review and meta-analysis.PLoS medicine · 2020Pooled it
- Frequent attenders in primary health care in Finland: use of primary care services and patient characteristics.Scandinavian journal of primary health care · 2026Article
- Article
- Consultation frequency and general practitioners' and practices' characteristics.BMC primary care · 2023Article
- Prevalence of and factors associated with dental service utilization among early elderly in Lithuania.BMC health services research · 2022Article
- Determinants of healthcare use based on the Andersen model: a study protocol for a systematic review of longitudinal studies.BMJ open · 2021Article
- Determinants of health care use among homeless individuals: evidence from the Hamburg survey of homeless individuals.BMC health services research · 2021Article
- Article
- Determinants of Frequent Attendance in Primary Care. Study Protocol for a Systematic Review of Longitudinal Studies.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2020Article
- Beyond symptoms: why do patients see the doctor?BJGP open · 2020Article
- Determinants and underlying causes of frequent attendance in midwife-led care: an exploratory cross-sectional study.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2019Article
- Characteristics of Elderly Frequent Attendees in Slovene Family Medicine Practices - a Cross-sectional Study.Materia socio-medica · 2019Article
- Determinants of Frequent Attendance of Outpatient Physicians: A Longitudinal Analysis Using the German Socio-Economic Panel (GSOEP).International journal of environmental research and public health · 2019Article
- Multi-group Causal Model of Health Literacy and Behaviors on Family Well-being among Thai Adults at Risk of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs).Journal of research in health sciences · 2018Article
- Cognitive behavioral therapy for frequent attenders in primary care.Health science reports · 2018Article
- Which factors lead to frequent attendance in the outpatient sector among individuals in the second half of life? Evidence from a population-based longitudinal study in Germany.BMC health services research · 2018Observational
- Social capital and frequent attenders in general practice: a register-based cohort study.BMC public health · 2018Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundWhereas several studies have examined the association between frequent attendance in primary care and illness-specific psychological factors, little is known about the relation between frequent attendance and general psychological factors. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate the association between being a frequent attender in primary care and general psychological factors.
methodsData were used from a large, population-based sample of community-dwelling individuals aged 40 and above in Germany in 2014 (n = 7,446). Positive and negative affect, life satisfaction, optimism, self-esteem, self-efficacy, and self-regulation were included as general psychological factors. The number of self-reported GP visits in the past twelve months was used to quantify frequency of attendance; individuals with more than 9 visits (highest decile) were defined as frequent attenders.
resultsMultiple logistic regressions showed that being a frequent attender was positively associated with less life satisfaction [OR: 0.79 (0.70-0.89)], higher negative affect [OR: 1.38 (1.17-1.62)], less self-efficacy [OR: 0.74 (0.63-0.86)], less self-esteem [OR: 0.65 (0.54-0.79)], less self-regulation [OR: 0.74 (0.60-0.91)], and higher perceived stress [OR: 1.46 (1.28-1.66)], after adjusting for sociodemographic factors, morbidity and lifestyle factors. However, frequent attendance was not significantly associated with positive affect and self-regulation.
conclusionsThe present study highlights the association between general psychological factors and frequent attendance. As frequent GP visits produce high health care costs and are potentially associated with increased referrals and use of secondary health care services, this knowledge might help to address these individuals with high needs.
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