HKCFP-HKU Primary Care Morbidity Survey in Hong Kong

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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Background: Information about the health problems of patients presenting in primary care is crucial to understanding the health of the general community for the planning and allocation of health care resources. Practice-based morbidity studies conducted in primary care settings have proven to be helpful in documentation of disease prevalence and for service planning. With the change in morbidity pattern and the aging population, our study will help to inform primary health care policy and guide work force and service planning. Method: This is a prospective practice-based study of health problems presenting in primary care. Doctors who agree to participate in the study will record the health problem and type of management performed in consecutive patient encounters for one of the designated weeks during each season over the course of one year. Analysis: Data collected will be analysed by descriptive statistics, comparison with data from previous morbidity study, and by non-linear mixed effects for factors associated with morbidity and management patterns in primary care. Results: Findings will will 1) provide evidence to support the allocation of resources to continue and to expand primary care initiatives that support the provision of quality chronic disease care in private sector, 2) enable continued surveillance of the morbidity trends in Hong Kong by providing data for comparison with past and future studies, and 3) inform the content of educational curricula for medical and health care students and practitioners to prepare them to better meet the needs of the community.

Official Title
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HKCFP-HKU Primary Care Morbidity Survey in Hong Kong

Conditions
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Primary Health Care

Intervention / Treatment
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* Other: No intervention involved


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: Consented primary care doctors in Hong Kong who are working in: the public sector (GOPC), or Department of Health Clinic, or private solo or group practices, or university health services, or non-profit organizations, or private hospital family medicine clinics Exclusion Criteria: Doctors who do not consent Doctors who are not working as primary care doctors
Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Arms and Interventions

| Intervention/Treatment |
| --- |
|Other: No intervention involved|No intervention involved|

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Prevalence of health problems and diseases presenting in primary care |  | immediately after completion of data collection, up to 6 months | 
| Rates of management activities including referral, investigation, prescription and preventive care intervention by primary care doctors |  | immediately after completion of data collection, up to 6 months | 
| Distribution of health problems and diseases presenting in the public compared with the private primary care setting |  | immediately after completion of data collection, up to 6 months | 
| Factors which affect the proportion and distribution of health problems in the public sector compared with the private sector |  | immediately after completion of data collection, up to 6 months | 

Secondary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Prescription rates of specific classes of drugs including benzodiazepines, antidepressants, NSAIDs, and antibiotics |  | immediately after completion of data collection, up to 6 months | 
| Seasonal variation in primary care morbidity pattern |  | immediately after completion of data collection, up to 6 months | 
| Relationship between patient's presenting problem and doctor's diagnosis |  | immediately after completion of data collection, up to 6 months |