USE OF PRIMARY CARE RESOURCES AMONG PATIENTS WHO ARE FREQUENT VISITORS (ONE YEAR, TWO YEARS, AND PERSISTENT) AND NON-FREQUENT VISITORS IN THIN® PRIMARY CARE DB IN BELGIUM AND SPAIN DURING 2023 TO 2025 PERIOD
Author(s)
Caroline Eteve-Pitsaer1, Elena Zanzottera Ferrari, MSc2, Samuel Brouyere, MSc3, Carlos Iglesias, MD4.
1European RWD-E Analytics Director, Cegedim Health data - Clinityx by Gers Data, Boulogne-Billancourt, France, 2GERS/Cegedim Health Data, Milano, Italy, 3GERS/Cegedim Health Data, Anderlecht, Belgium, 4CEGEDIM HEALTH DATA, Sant Cugat del Vallès, Spain.
1European RWD-E Analytics Director, Cegedim Health data - Clinityx by Gers Data, Boulogne-Billancourt, France, 2GERS/Cegedim Health Data, Milano, Italy, 3GERS/Cegedim Health Data, Anderlecht, Belgium, 4CEGEDIM HEALTH DATA, Sant Cugat del Vallès, Spain.
OBJECTIVES: To profile primary care (PC) frequent attendance (FA) across Belgium and Spain using the THIN® database. Analyze whether there are differences in clinical-epidemiological variables between the frequency groups (age, sex, weight, chronic, presence and of the different variables of resource use). Analyze the weight that different clinical-epidemiological variables have on the patient's classification as a high-frequency over the 2023-2025 period.
METHODS: This retrospective observational cohort study categorised adult patients (>18 years) into four cohorts based on the top decile of consultation frequency (physician/nurse visits): 1-year FA (1yFA), 2-year FA (2yFA), persistent FA (pFA; top decile all three years), and non-FA. Logistic regression models identified multivariable predictors of pFA status.
RESULTS: Across health systems, non-FAs comprised the majority (84.9%-86.9%). Persistent FAs constituted 2.2% in Belgium and 2.7% in Spain. Advanced age strongly correlated with persistent attendance (p< 0.001). Annual healthcare burdens escalated exponentially for pFAs; annual consultation averages reached 59.8 visits in Spain and 18.8 in Belgium, compared to 7.0 and 1.7for non-FAs, respectively. Laboratory test volumes mirrored this trajectory, scaling to an annual mean of 71.9 tests per pFA patient in Belgium and 37.9 in Spain. Mean sick leave per period mounted drastically for Belgian pFAs (79.6 days) but remained lower in Spain (18.4 days). Regression analyses revealed distinct regional clinical drivers for pFA status (p< 0.001): respiratory pathology was the strongest predictor in Belgium (OR= 3.095), whereas circulatory diagnoses predominated in Spain (OR = 5.256). Mental disorders accelerated utilization across both nations.
CONCLUSIONS: Persistent frequent attendance represents a distinct, multi-year chronic healthcare reliance rather than a transient acute spike. Identifying specific high-density clinical profiles, characterised by older age and overlapping cardiovascular, respiratory, and psychiatric comorbidities, enables health authorities to shift from reactive care models toward structured, preventative case-management pathways, optimizing resource sustainability where fiscal pressures are highest.
METHODS: This retrospective observational cohort study categorised adult patients (>18 years) into four cohorts based on the top decile of consultation frequency (physician/nurse visits): 1-year FA (1yFA), 2-year FA (2yFA), persistent FA (pFA; top decile all three years), and non-FA. Logistic regression models identified multivariable predictors of pFA status.
RESULTS: Across health systems, non-FAs comprised the majority (84.9%-86.9%). Persistent FAs constituted 2.2% in Belgium and 2.7% in Spain. Advanced age strongly correlated with persistent attendance (p< 0.001). Annual healthcare burdens escalated exponentially for pFAs; annual consultation averages reached 59.8 visits in Spain and 18.8 in Belgium, compared to 7.0 and 1.7for non-FAs, respectively. Laboratory test volumes mirrored this trajectory, scaling to an annual mean of 71.9 tests per pFA patient in Belgium and 37.9 in Spain. Mean sick leave per period mounted drastically for Belgian pFAs (79.6 days) but remained lower in Spain (18.4 days). Regression analyses revealed distinct regional clinical drivers for pFA status (p< 0.001): respiratory pathology was the strongest predictor in Belgium (OR= 3.095), whereas circulatory diagnoses predominated in Spain (OR = 5.256). Mental disorders accelerated utilization across both nations.
CONCLUSIONS: Persistent frequent attendance represents a distinct, multi-year chronic healthcare reliance rather than a transient acute spike. Identifying specific high-density clinical profiles, characterised by older age and overlapping cardiovascular, respiratory, and psychiatric comorbidities, enables health authorities to shift from reactive care models toward structured, preventative case-management pathways, optimizing resource sustainability where fiscal pressures are highest.
Conference/Value in Health Info
2026-11, ISPOR Europe 2026, Vienna, Austria
Value in Health, Volume 29, Issue 12S
Code
MSR104
Topic
Methodological & Statistical Research
Topic Subcategory
Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Predictive Analytics
Disease
No Additional Disease & Conditions/Specialized Treatment Areas