V Mor1, C Rice. 1. Brown University Center for Gerontology and Health Care Research, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island 02912.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Little research has examined the volume and pattern of physician use or the scope of multiple physician use in patients with cancer. METHODS: The authors studied a sample of 259 patients with advanced cancer who received outpatient chemotherapy at two hospital clinics and eight private oncology practices. RESULTS: These patients reported regularly seeing an average of three different physicians an average of 15 times in 3 months. The number of physicians seen was strongly correlated with the number of reported visits (r = 0.65). Demographic and disease characteristics were associated only moderately with visit volume. Patients without a regular physician had a less concentrated pattern of visits to many doctors than did those with a regular doctor. CONCLUSIONS: This pattern of physician use among active treatment patients has not been described before and has implications for continuity of care.
RCT Entities:
BACKGROUND: Little research has examined the volume and pattern of physician use or the scope of multiple physician use in patients with cancer. METHODS: The authors studied a sample of 259 patients with advanced cancer who received outpatient chemotherapy at two hospital clinics and eight private oncology practices. RESULTS: These patients reported regularly seeing an average of three different physicians an average of 15 times in 3 months. The number of physicians seen was strongly correlated with the number of reported visits (r = 0.65). Demographic and disease characteristics were associated only moderately with visit volume. Patients without a regular physician had a less concentrated pattern of visits to many doctors than did those with a regular doctor. CONCLUSIONS: This pattern of physician use among active treatment patients has not been described before and has implications for continuity of care.