Primary health care services in Cartagena, Spain, overuse and immigration

Abstract

Objectives: to describe the patient’s profile whose over demanding the services of Primary Care medical services, coinciding with the immigration phenomenon. Methods: a descriptive study made in 2007. The selected sample was of 218,968 people over 14 years, with multistage sampling. It was measured: number of visits, age, sex, reasons of consultations and place of birth. It was considered an over use of the services those patients who have two deviations over the standard average per person. Results: There were 1,088,817 consultations. Each person visited the doctor’s office 4.97 times; men attended 40% less than women. Population over 65 years old double the demand of the younger population. Spanish people consulted a doctor 1.5 times more than an immigrant. 6,259 (2.86%) of the patients over used the services and they went 204,291 (18.76%) times for consultations. 3.22% (5,837/181,254) of the population over used the health care services, 1.07% (405/37,317) were immigrants. The patient’s profile who is over using the services for chronic diseases and respiratory pathology is: women, upper middle-age and of nationality Spanish. Conclusions: age, sex, health needs and place of birth are important issues to be considered in the provision of health services. Immigrants useless times the health services, this influences age and health needs.