Structure of visits persons with diabetes in Croatian family practice--analysis of reasons for encounter and treatment procedures using the ICPC-2

The reasons for encounter and the procedures conducted during the visit persons with diabetes to family practice have been investigated. Five family practitioners located in two Croatian counties took part in this study. In this study patients with diagnoses E10-E14 according to International Classification Disease-10 (ICD-10), were involved. There were 543 persons with diabetes (women 324) in the total population of 10,150 patients Data were registered according to the International Classification Primary Care-2 (ICPC-2) (components 1-7 for reasons of encounter, and components 2-6 for procedures during the visit), in period october till december 2005. 871 visits of persons with diabetes (average age 65.7 +/- 12.5 were registered. Patients presented in total 1921 reasons for encounter or 2.1 +/-1.1 per visit. Family practitioner made in total 2,341 procedures or 2.6 +/- 1.5 procedures per visit. 85.0% of patients had 1 to 3 reasons for encounter, 78.4% of patients had 1 to 3 procedures per visit. 64.4% of patients with diabetes presented at least one reason for encounter connected to diabetes. The most common reasons for encounter were prescriptions of medication 46.4 per 100 reasons for encounter, the second was dignostic procedure 19.9, request for analysis of findings 11.1, symptoms complaints 11, request for referrals to diagnostic procedures or specialist consultation 8.9 and administrative reuqests 1.6 per 100 reasons for encounter. Family practitioner performed procedure prescriptions of medication 47 per 100 procedures. The second was dignostic procedure 32.8 per 100 procedures, referrals to diagnostic procedures or specialist consultation 14.7 and administrative procedures 1.7 per 100 procedures. From the total number of 100 referrals to specialist, 23 were to diabetologist, 15 to ophtalmologist, 13 to cardiologist. The largest proportion of procedure belong to diabetics 33.8%, followed by the circulatory system 25.4%, musculosceletal 6.9%, symptoms 5.1%, respiratory 4.5%. The reasons for encounter and the procedures conducted during the visit have direct influence to the quality of care for persons with diabetes. It is necessery collecting the data and research in the field of reasons for encounter and procedures during the visit of person with diabetes. The results then can be compared to the results already found in literature.