Patterns of Care in Patients Utilizing both Primary Health Care and Psychiatric Care in a Swedish Health District

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Abstract
Patterns of care in all patients (N=546) establishing contact with both primary health care and psychiatric care were studied during 1984 (N=252) and 1986 (N=294) in a Swedish health district. Utilization of primary health care was not affected by the sectorization of the psychiatric care organization, while there was a significant increase in utilization of outpatient psychiatric care. Patients with a higher number of visits in outpatient psychiatric care had a lower number of visits in primary health care. The utilization of care was unevenly distributed in the sample; 25% of the patients accounted for almost 60% of the visits in both care organizations. The mental health problems were identified in primary health care in 40% of the patients. This group of patients seemed to be defined as belonging neither to specialized psychiatric care nor to the general practitioner level of primary health care.