Extended opening hours in primary care: helpful for patients and--or--a distraction for health professionals?

WHO regards access to primary care as a priority for all health systems, because of the benefits for population health and because of the changing nature of populations (more older people with chronic conditions) and the growing expectations of the public.1 In most developed countries, progress has been made in enabling people to use primary care services during routine office hours, and policymakers have begun to ask "how much access is enough"? The two main drivers for extending access to general practices beyond traditional office hours are the possibility that longer opening hours would lead to reduced pressure on hospital services and the need for policy to respond to the pressure from patients for appointments with their primary care providers. Difficulty in getting appointments in general practice is associated with higher use of hospital emergency departments,2 and evidence from a US study of extended hours...
Source: Quality and Safety in Health Care - Category: Health Management Authors: Tags: Editorials Source Type: research