ArticleBMC primary care2026
Which aspects of continuity of care in primary care are associated with better self-rated health? A cross-sectional study among older adults in Berlin.
Article in BMC primary care, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
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
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
9 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundGlobal population ageing and rapid urbanization are increasing the prevalence of multimorbidity and complex health needs among older adults, emphasizing the importance of accessible and high-quality primary care. Continuity of care (CoC) is a core feature of person-centered primary care and has been linked to improved health outcomes, reduced mortality, and lower health care utilization. While general use of primary care has been associated with better self-rated health, evidence on the specific role of continuity of primary care remains limited. This study examined the association between CoC in primary care and self-rated health among adults aged 65 years and older living in three neighborhoods in Berlin, Germany.
methodsCross-sectional data were drawn from the baseline survey of the Ageing Well study (December 2023 - June 2024, December 2024 - June 2025) in Berlin. 837 participants completed standardized face-to-face interviews. CoC was assessed by duration of care at a general practitioner's practice and duration of care with the same general practitioner. Self-rated health was measured using a single-item five-point scale. Linear regression models were fitted, adjusting for age, gender, subjective social status, lifetime morbidity, symptoms of depression, and anxiety. Missing data were addressed using listwise deletion.
resultsMost participants reported a general practitioner as their usual care site (84.7%), and self-rated health was most frequently rated as good (41.6%). Continuity with a general practitioner was positively associated with self-rated health, although the magnitude of the association was small (b = 0.008, 95% CI: 0.002-0.015). Lifetime morbidity explained the largest proportion of unique variance in self-rated health. Depressive symptoms were associated with poorer self-rated health, while higher subjective social status was associated with better self-rated health.
conclusionsThe association between CoC and self-rated health was small. These findings suggest that commonly used patient-reported outcomes may not adequately capture the effects of CoC in older adults. Future research should therefore consider more sensitive and process-oriented outcome measures to better capture the impact of CoC. CLINICAL TRIAL NUMBER: German Register for Clinical Studies (DRKS) (DRKS00033043, registered 16 November 2023); part of the WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (WHO ICTRP), https://www.drks.de .
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
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.