Hong Kong chronic patients consulting specialists more likely to be admitted to hospital, study finds
Authors say it is vital to encourage the development of primary health care by getting people to have a single family doctor
Chronic patients who opt for specialists rather than general practitioners for regular care were found to be two times more likely to be admitted to hospital, according to a study led by the Chinese University.
Roger Chung Yat-nork, the study’s lead author and a public health professor from the university, told the Post that residents, who often prefer going to specialists, should embrace the concept of family doctors, who provide comprehensive care to people of all ages.
The study, which also involved former health minister Professor Yeoh Eng-kiong, now director of the university’s School of Public Health and Primary Care, looked at data from 25,780 people obtained from the government’s thematic household survey on health carried out between October 2011 and January 2012.
It examined the number of chronic diseases individuals were suffering from, the number of hospital admissions and whether they had regular care from general practitioners or specialists. From this data, it concluded that chronic patients were two times more likely to be sent to hospital if they saw specialists.
