Scandinavian journal of primary health care
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Scand J Prim Health Care · Sep 1985
Why do our patients see us? A study of reasons for encounter in general practice.
The patients' reasons for encounter were recorded in 10 278 personal doctor-patient contacts in nine Norwegian municipalities over a two-month period, and were classified according to a simplified version of the WHO "Reason for Encounter Classification". A two-dimensional classification system was used where each reason was classified according to the location and type of problem. Symptoms and complaints made up 64.9% of all encounters. ⋯ Psychological and social reasons were rather infrequent 3.1% and 0.3%. Compared with the frequencies of psychiatric and social diagnoses recorded in general practice, this indicates a discrepancy between the patient's own opinion of problems and the doctor's interpretations. Females had a significantly higher contact rate than males, mainly due to problems related to the genital system, inclusive of the breast.