Symptomatic Diagnoses in Primary Care
Author Information
Author(s): Lehto Mika T, Kauppila Timo, Kautiainen Hannu, Laine Merja K, Rahkonen Ossi, Pitkälä Kaisu H
Primary Institution: University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital
Hypothesis
What is the proportion of symptomatic diagnoses among primary health care patients and how are they distributed by age and sex?
Conclusion
About one in eight GP appointments involved a symptomatic diagnosis, with significant differences in prevalence between men and women.
Supporting Evidence
- Symptomatic diagnoses accounted for 13.5% of all recorded diagnoses.
- Women had a higher rate of symptomatic diagnoses (14.1%) compared to men (12.4%).
- The most common symptomatic diagnoses included abdominal pain, cough, and skin changes.
Takeaway
Doctors often can't find a specific illness for patients' symptoms, so they use a general label called a symptomatic diagnosis. This happens a lot, especially with women.
Methodology
This was a register-based study analyzing electronic health records from primary care visits in Vantaa, Finland, from 2016 to 2018.
Potential Biases
There may be variability in how GPs record diagnoses, potentially leading to inconsistencies.
Limitations
The study may underestimate the prevalence of symptoms as GPs often record only one diagnosis per visit, and some patients may not receive any diagnosis.
Participant Demographics
The mean age of women was 47 years and men was 44 years, with a total of 305,650 visits by women and 197,351 by men.
Statistical Information
P-Value
0.001
Confidence Interval
95% CI 1.10 to 1.14
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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