Patient morbidity and management patterns of community-based primary health care services in Hong Kong.

Abstract

1. The most common reason for doctor consultation was upper respiratory tract infection (26.4%), followed by hypertension (10.0%), diabetes (4.0%), gastroenteritis (3.9%), and lipid disorder (2.7%).2. Imbalance of care was evident between the private and public primary care sectors; the public sector was heavily burdened with care for patients with chronic diseases. There is room to expand the role of private sector in primary care for chronic diseases and in disease prevention. 3. Funding methods and training in family medicine was associated with morbidity and management patterns.4. These findings could guide health care policy and resource allocation as well as the content of medical training programmes.