• János Sándor, Attila Nagy, Tibor Jenei, Anett Földvári, Edit Szabó, Orsolya Csenteri, Ferenc Vincze, Valéria Sipos, Nóra Kovács, Anita Pálinkás, Magor Papp, Gergely Fürjes, and Róza Ádány.
• a Department of Preventive Medicine, Faculty of Public Health , University of Debrecen , Debrecen , Hungary.
• Eur J Gen Pract. 2018 Dec 1; 24 (1): 183191183-191.

BackgroundRegular primary healthcare (PHC) performance monitoring to produce a set of performance indicators for provider effectiveness is a fundamental method for improving guideline adherence but there are potential negative impacts of the inadequate application of this approach. Since performance indicators can reflect patient characteristics and working environments, as well as PHC team contributions, inadequate monitoring practices can reduce their effectiveness in the prevention of cardiometabolic disorders.ObjectivesTo describe the influence of patients' characteristics on performance indicators of PHC preventive practices in patients with hypertension or diabetes mellitus.MethodsThis cross-sectional analysis was based on a network of 165 collaborating GPs. A random sample of 4320 adults was selected from GP's patient lists. The response rate was 97.3% in this survey. Sociodemographic status, lifestyle, health attitudes and the use of recommended preventive PHC services were surveyed by questionnaire. The relationship between the use of preventive services and patient characteristics were analysed using hierarchical regression models in a subsample of 1659 survey participants with a known diagnosis of hypertension or diabetes mellitus.ResultsRates of PHC service utilization varied from 18.0% to 97.9%, and less than half (median: 44.4%; IQR: 30.8-62.5) of necessary services were used by patients. Patient attitude was as strong of an influencing factor as demographic properties but was remarkably weaker than patient socioeconomic status.ConclusionThese findings emphasize that PHC performance indicators have to be evaluated concerning patient characteristics.

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