ISSN: 1449-1907International Journal of Medical Sciences
Global reach, higher impact
Int J Med Sci 2012; 9(8):704-707. doi:10.7150/ijms.4999 This issue Cite
Letter To The Editor
Monitoring Reasons for Encounter via an Electronic Patient Record System: the Case of a Rural Practice Initiative
1. Primary Health Care Unit of Alonakia, Siatista, Greece
2. Department of Social Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Crete, Greece
3. Private Family Practice Unit in Heraklion, Crete, Greece
4. Private Family Practice Unit in Heraklion, Crete, Greece
Abstract
The objective of this brief communication was to tabulate common reasons for encounter in a Greek rural general practice, as result of a recently adopted electronic patient record (EPR) application. Twenty encounter reasons accounted for 3,797 visits (61% of all patient encounters), whereas 565 other reasons accounted for the remaining 2,429 visits (39%). Number one reason for encounter was health maintenance or disease prevention seeking services, including screening examinations for malignancies, immunization and provision of medical opinion reports. Hypertension, lipid disorder and ischemic heart disease without angina were among the most common reasons for seeking care. A strengths/weaknesses/opportunities/threats (SWOT) analysis on the key role of an EPR system in collecting data from rural and remote primary health care settings is also presented.
Keywords: patient encounter, rural practice, general practice, electronic patient record, Greece
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