SynthesisBMJ open2020
Experience of being a frequent user of primary care and emergency department services: a qualitative systematic review and thematic synthesis.
Synthesis in BMJ open, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 11 papers.
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.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
11 citing papers in PubMed.
- Short-Term Repeat Healthcare Visits and Area-Level Inequalities in a Primary Care-Centered Health System.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2026Article
- Health and Social Care Professionals' Perspectives of the Desired Interprofessional Collaboration in Frequent Attenders' Person-Centred Care: A Qualitative Study.Scandinavian journal of caring sciences · 2026Article
- Primary Care Utilization and Prehospital Emergency Demand Among Patients with Multimorbidity in Spain.Nursing reports (Pavia, Italy) · 2025Article
- Municipal healthcare providers' perceptions of reasons for frequent and unplanned hospital admissions among home-dwelling older adults: a Norwegian focus group study.BMC geriatrics · 2025Article
- Frequent Users in Psychiatric Consultations: A 6-Year Retrospective Study in the Emergency Department.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2025Observational
- Exploring the lived experience of receiving mental health crisis care at emergency departments, crisis phone lines and crisis care alternatives.Health expectations : an international journal of public participation in health care and health policy · 2024Article
- Article
- Experiences of Frequent Users of Emergency Departments in Health Care Setting in French-Speaking Switzerland: A Qualitative Study.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- Article
- Potential Help-Seeking Behaviors Associated with Better Self-Rated Health among Rural Older Patients: A Cross-Sectional Study.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Article
- Determinants of frequent use of open consultations: a study on patient demographics, chronic conditions, and utilization patterns in primary care.Porto biomedical journalArticle
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundFrequent users of healthcare services are often categorised as 'heavy-cost patients'. In the recent years, many jurisdictions have attempted to implement different public policies to optimise the use of health services by frequent users. However, throughout this process, little attention has been paid to their experience as patients.
objectiveTo thematically synthesise qualitative studies that explore the experience of frequent users of primary care and emergency department services.
designQualitative systematic review and thematic synthesis.
settingPrimary care and emergency department.
participantsFrequent users of primary care and emergency department services.
methodsA qualitative systematic review was conducted using three online databases (MEDLINE with full text, CINAHL with full text and PsycINFO). This search was combined to an extensive manual search of reference lists and related citations. A thematic synthesis was performed to develop descriptive themes and analytical constructs. STUDY SELECTION: Twelve studies were included. All included studies met the following inclusion criteria: qualitative design; published in English; discussed frequent users' experiences from their own perspectives and users' experiences occurred in primary care and/or emergency departments.
resultsThe predominant aspects of frequent users' experiences were: (1) the experience of being ill and (2) the healthcare experience. The experience of being ill encompassed four central themes: physical limitations, mental suffering, impact on relationships and the role of self-management. The healthcare experience embraced the experience of accessing healthcare and the global experience of receiving care.
conclusionThis synthesis sheds light on potential changes to healthcare delivery in order to improve frequent users' experiences: individualised care plans or case management interventions to support self-management of symptoms and reduce psychological distress; and giving greater importance on the patient-providers relationship as a central facet of healthcare delivery. This synthesis also highlights future research directions that would benefit frequent users.
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Registered trials
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.