Long- and short-term frequent attenders in primary healthcare – perceptions of patient-centredness, interaction and encounters with healthcare personnel

Frequent attendance is often temporary, but for some patients frequent attendance lasts for several years. In the doctoral dissertation it was studied what kind of perceptions short- and long-term frequent attenders have about patient-centredness, patient-professional interaction and encounters with healthcare personnel.
The Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966 46-year follow-up study was used to examine the characteristics of short- and long-term frequent attenders. Surveys were used to collect short- and long-term frequent attenders´ perceptions of patient-centredness and patient-professional interaction. A literature review based on previous studies was used to examine frequent attenders´ experiences of encounters with healthcare personnel.
Based on the results, especially long-term frequent attenders perceived their health poorer and assessed patient-centredness and patient-professional interaction more poorly compared to short-term frequent attenders. Frequent attenders have various care needs, which can be difficult to solve. When planning frequent attenders´ services, their own opinions and circumstances should be considered when appropriate, and provide support according to individual needs. The results indicate that services in their current form are not fully able to respond to frequent attenders´ service needs.