期刊名称：Bulletin du Centre de Recherche Français de Jérusalem
电子版ISSN：2075-5287
出版年度：2000
卷号：7
页码：118-127
出版社：Centre de Recherche Français de Jérusalem (CRFJ)
摘要：In western countries, the increase in the primary health costs threatens the financial balance of the organizations paying or refunding these expenses. In this respect, the problem of “high users of primary care services”, i.e. patients who frequently consult their general practitioner (GP), is a serious problem for policy makers. This problem is particularly significant for women who are consistently the highest users of services, using about 50 % more health services than men (e.g. Yishai, 1992). These “high users” generate a high workload and economic burden on the primary health services (Neal, Heywood, Morley et al., 1998), while their relationship with their GP is often unsatisfactory (O'Dowd, 1988), and the very fact that they keep coming back may point to needs that are not met by the care they receive. In addition, the proportion of high users of primary care seems to be increasing (Gill, Dawes, Sharpe & Mayou, 1998). Research is thus urgently needed to understand who these high users are and what the significant factors are which contribute to high rates of utilization of primary care services, in order to improve both the efficacy of health care services, as well as the outcomes of medical care.
